You would think investors would be ecstatic. The S&P 500 Index is at 12-month highs. The NASDAQ is flirting with an eleven-year high and the Dow is just points away from 13,000. So what’s not to like?

Over the last week a flurry of price forecasts for gasoline have reverberated through Wall Street. Some experts are guessing that pump prices could easily top $4.00/gallon and possibly higher by Memorial Day this year.

My last column ended with two questions:             “Does a high school education prepare our youth to enter the work force, escape poverty and become productive citizen of the economy?”

It has been six weeks (29 consecutive trading days) since we have seen a 1% decline in the averages. Given that last year it was practically a daily occurrence, most investors are breathing a sigh of relief. That is starting to worry me.

It is a debate that has occupied this country for years. Should college be free to all Americans or should we continue to pay for it? Those in favor argue it is one of our inalienable rights. Those oppose say college is a privilege to be earned and paid for in order for it to [...]

It wasn’t quite a QE III but it came close. This week the Federal Reserve Bank extended the time period in which they would keep a lid on short term interest rates to 2014 while at the same time pushing longer term rates lower. Investors liked that and bought stocks on the news.

It has been a long time since oil production in this country has been a source of growth. Between domestic regulation, depressed energy prices and off-shore projects, the action in oil has been elsewhere. Now that is beginning to change.

Problems, issues, challenges, call them what you may.  Nary a day has gone by when something, somewhere continues to put investors on edge. From the Straits of Hormuz to the infidelities of Republican hopefuls, the world appears to be full of surprises. Yet, the stock markets grind higher.

Over the last few years government authorities have gone after insider traders with increasing success. Now, news headlines indicate that there was actually a hedge fund club of sorts that regularly traded on illegal information.

 After a week of slowly grinding higher on exceptionally low volume, the markets swooned on Friday. Europe, once again, was responsible.