Barry Hyman Whether Quotations

It doesn't really determine that this year is going to be a down year. What it really indicates is the confusion over whether we're in a growth economy or not.

I think we're going to go down to the wire whether or not it's a half-percentage point (increase). If you want to maintain market stability, a quarter percentage point could keep the market at bay.

The productivity number is key toward determining whether the economy can show some stabilization. We've seen weakening numbers, which hasn't helped, but there is no inflation story to talk about here.

The traditional year-end rally didn't happen this year and the 'January Effect' doesn't look like it's going to occur. This is just a wait-and-see market right now that will continue to be driven by important catalysts, whether geopolitical or earnings-based.

There's worry about higher interest rates. The bond market has been very weak, and we can assume the higher interest rates are signs of a rebounding economy. This gives people a feeling of comfort, but we also worry about how rates are going to go and whether it will crimp economic activity further down the road.

The Nasdaq broke its support levels last week because of IBM, Cisco, and Computer Associates. The S&P was weighed down by its tech exposure. Another key story next week is whether the Dow follows the rest of the market or can it continue to hold in the gains.

You have a market on eggshells. The stories that make the rounds are being treated as sell first and then worry about whether they're true.

The market has two overhangs. It has the interest rate concern and it has the concern of whether a soft landing is achievable. The interest rate concern is over but the soft landing is another question. We don't know if the economy is slowing enough or slowing too fast and that concern, as it relates to earnings, is weighing on the market a little.

The markets do not like global crises, whether they're political or economic. They do have ramifications in the world. Our export market may be hurt somewhat due to that.