Did you get the color I sent?

Back in the 80s, I found a casual/beach clothing line called Maui and Son. Every piece they sold had the phrase - in a cartoon strip style dialog bubble - "Did you get the color I sent?" I suppose it was to get someone to ask what it meant and get a conversation going.

No soap, radio. I am sure a lot of you remember that jabberwocky of a non-joke, too.

That brings me to today's "I can't believe people pay for this advice" entry. The proprietary indicator name has been changed to protect the guilty.

And I quote:

"The daily <> gave us a "sell strength" signal Thursday and we have a "best fade" sell signal implying weakness by Tuesday. The thing is, we have a new buy signal from the <> . The chop we got really doesn't fulfill the predicted move and we could still have some weakness on Monday, since there are profits to take. I'm not expecting too much downside, however. Too much skepticism, thank goodness.

Endquote.

First, WTF did it mean? and WTF is he/she suggesting his/her subscribers do about it? Excuse the language but this is why investors and the media look down on market analysts.

Explain what you are looking at and why. Have conviction with your opinions. Give your subscribers a clear idea of what to do. And then say what has to happen to prove you wrong.

Thank you. This has been a public service announcement.

Finally, it's here

No, I am not talking about November and the start of the seasonal sweet spot for equities. Although, selling in May and going away - far away - sure would have been the right move.

I am talking about the election. And the two-year buildup where we spent - some might say wasted - so much mental capital that we are collectively exhausted. Just over one day from when I am writing this, we will know who will be the new patsy, er, commander in chief who is charged with getting this economy back on track. I am glad it will not be me but then again, if you just let nature take run its course the economy would do the job all by itself.

How's that 700 billion dollar handout, er, bailout, er, rescue package doing? Ask bank shareholders who just got paid their dividends and they will say, "just fine." Ask AIG's travel agent and you'll get the same answer. I am actually wondering if I will be able to lease a new car when my current lease expires in a few months so don't ask me how its going. Don't ask homeowners or business owners, either. Yes, I know it is too soon to see real effects but we need it now, not later.

Meddling in the free market always backfires, no matter how good your intentions may be.

But back to the election. Why am I glad it is just about over? Because the market hates uncertainty and it does funky things when it is unsure. When we know who will be President and his Veep, no matter who wins, everybody can start to accept it and move on to their own little worlds - of business, spending and saving. And the market can get its act together.

Yes, there are other issues in this election but from the standpoint of this blog its the economy, smarty (I won't call my readers stupid).