7 ticks shy of 390 on the close and new all time highs. Now we can go home this weekend and worry about a double top! Happy new year.mlp bull market is over 3 years old and still motoring higher.

The mlp index hit 390.10 intra day and is up just under 390 as we head into the close. Kinder Morgan (KMP) is at a new all time high and is among the leaders. Nothing moving today that stands out really in either direction. The year is down to its final hour.

NEW ALL TIME HIGHS!

It appears that unless we get a complete meltdown today (which appears highly unlikely) mlps will breakout above 390 and we will close the year at new all time highs. The index started the year at 365 so a 390 close gives us a 25 point gain or about 7% and thats without distritubutions. So your 2011 total return was probably north of 13%! During a year where the market essentially went nowhere, this was a banner performance. EV Partners(EVEP) went from 40 to 65 in this stretch and Sunoco Logistics (SXL) adjusting for a 3 for 1 split went from 26 to 38. Also not too shabby. Atlas Pipeline Partners (APL) was another winner up from 22 to 36.
Plains All American (PAA) is the latest mlp to go parabolic and this happened after it announced its purchase of assets that put it squarely in the nat gas export market. Nat gas is at 3.00 on its way to being free. Since we don't seem to realize its value here in the United States we are sending it elsewhere. Who cares if natgas goes to zero, since you still have to pay to ship it. Plains will have the pipes so if you want it, you got to pay the toll.

This morning looks like a slightly lower open as books get squared for year end. The 10 year is at 1.89. The Euro is trying to hold 1.29. Nat gas is at 3 bucks and as i said earlier on its way to zero. Crude is down and gold is bouncing after several days of heavy selling.

MLPS NEARING ALL TIME HIGHS

The mlp index is up over 3 points at 389 as the year end pile on into anything with a payout continues. One more day and we could finish the year in breakout territory. Dow up 115. Nasdaq up 20.

MLPS OFF MID AFTERNOON, MARKETS DOWN HARDER!

MLPS continue to benefit from year end pile on as the index is down just 1 point and a few ticks while the overall markets are down over 1% as of this post. The index is still just a few points below new all time highs as the outperformance this year continues as the days wind down to a precious few for 2011.

Much of the overall market action is centering on the EURO which is down to 128.80 right now and at an 11 month low. The sharp down move came this morning as markets are underwhelmed by Italian short term auctions today and we wait for the 10 year note auction there tomorrow with yields near 7% which is considered by many as the point of no return. Meanwhile here 1250 on the S&P is holding and the index is down 5 points for the year as of this post. The dow is up 5% and nasdaq is down 2%. We spent an entire year basically going nowhere.

Last hour will be important to see if bears get the upper hand or not.

YEAR END NEARS, ALL TIME HIGHS LOOM!

As the last days of 2011 wind down, we are seeing mlps running toward new all time highs as the year end pile on continues. We are up 6 of the last 7 days in the mlp index and we are just a solid up close away to new all time highs. This recent upleg is being led by Plains All American (PAA) which has been moving parabolic ever since they company went out and grabbed some liquid nat gas assets. The up leg in Plains has evolved after a long sideways move in the stock which until November was going no where. But at least you were paid 6% to hold it in the meanwhile

Since mlps are among the best performers this year, i would expect to see the pile in to continue. However a note of caution is that what comes in to the price on the last few days of one year could easily come out of the price during the first trading days in 2012. Also whenever we've had these consecutive up days like this, it has come at the end of an up move for the stock market and not at the beginning of one. Still the bulls have control in mlp land until further notice.






For every winner in mlp land there is usually a laggard and Nustar (NS) wins that award this year. The stock price has been in a downtrend pretty much all year and its recent pop in price takes us up to a downtrend line. The company has not been able to grow its payout and that is the bottom line. Liquid nat gas is where the money is going and Nustar (NS) is big on gasoline which has seen margins being squeezed to some degree. If we get into a world where margins (crack spreads) widen and gasoline prices rise due to a genuine increase in demand, Nustar could do quite well. But right now it remains a mediocre performer but at least it has a stable payout.

No news this morning on the corporate side, no upgrades or downgrades so we have no drivers there. Stock futures are a little lower as holiday trading continues. Gold is down 10 bucks. Oil is flat. The euro is up a couple of ticks. Europe remains the driver with Italian auctions coming tomorrow. Other than that markets are pretty quiet.

Meanwhile the Market Oracle who predicted a melt down last week (we got a melt up) continues to point out that the market is could possibly collapse this week. He suggests to keep an eye on the nasdaq and the nasdaq 100 which has underperformed badly in the last few weeks. It seems to me that its going to be hard for the market to crash on a week where no one is here to witness it let alone trade it. I will agree however that the charts are not looking good and the 200 day moving average retest is happening right now for the S&P 500.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas to all my readers. I'm going to take a few days off and come back rested for fresh perspective on December 27. To all my readers, i wish you the very best and all the blessings of Christmas to you and your families!!!!

THE WORLD IS NO LONGER ENDING!

One good Spanish bill auction today and a dollar selloff has the risk crowd concluding that all has been solved (at least for today). The dow is up 280 as of this post...the nasdaq is up 72..and mlps are up 3.50. MLPS are actually now within 3% of new all time highs. The index is at 378 and needs only to get to 390. If the year end pile on continues we could get there before the month is done. So much for the Hindenburg Omen which did not give another signal today (at least so far).

Going to be doing pre Christmas errands so will post updates when i can. The Euro has pulled back from its high of the day so keep an eye on this to see if it brings in sellers later today.

Losses accelerating. Dow down 120. S&P down 16. Nasdaq down 35. MLPS up but less than 1. 72 new highs today plus 110 new lows gives us a total of 182. Another Hindenburg Omen signal today. That is the 4th one since last Monday. See this morning's post for more info.

Bank of america just broke below 5 and the rest of the market going with it. Dow down 110.  Mlp index up just 1. Nasdaq down 32. Could we see a rush to the exits at 3:30????

MLPS are up 2 as the market continues to hold just off the lows of the day. Those lows will hold as long as Bank of America doesn't break below 5 dollars. It came down to 5 again about 30 minutes ago and held for a second time. Last hour will be make or break.

Btw last chance for Christmas shopping with on time delivery. If your still looking there is the amazon link above or if your buying a kindle..use the side link. Remember..if you purchase its no extra cost to you..not one cent! And amazon gives me a few bucks to pay the rent! Thank you and many thanks to those who have made purchases through my amazon link, or through mystic monk coffee (great coffee) or if you hit the paypal donate button on the sidebar!!! It really helps!

For the umpteenth time the ECB head Mario Draghi has told us that the European Central Bank has no intention to bail out the sovereign nations in the Euro zone. Markets apparently think he may mean it this time. We've gone from plus 50 on the dow to minus 65 right now. Bank stocks are on the verge of breaking down as Bank America is trying to hold that magic 5 dollar number. Meanwhile the MLP index benefits from a flight to yield as it is up 1 point. It also is benefiting from year end action but if this sell off gets serious this afternoon this relative strength my have a problem holding on.

Kinder Morgan is up a buck and near new all time highs. Plains All Amercian (PAA) and Western Gas (WES) are up nice fractions. Most mlps are either flat or up a little. Buckeye Partners (BPL) and Williams (WMZ) are the biggest winners with Williams up over 2 dollars to just under 60.

The tape could get very ugly this afternoon if bank stocks really start to implode. Have not seen any followup stories on the Hindenburg omen or whether the signal was triggered again today. I will keep my eyes open on this. BTW the 10 year yield is down to 1.82%. This is not good.

THE HINDENBURG OMEN!

For those of you who have never heard of the Hindenburg Omen it is named after the German Hindenburg which crashed and burned in New Jersey in 1937.

However for stock market players it has an entirely different meaning. The signal does not come often and is far from perfect but it is something we should pay attention to. Here is a good explanation of how it works. The signal was triggered 3 times last week so it seems to be occurring in clusters. When we see it in clusters it can be ominous. Here is at least one person's interpretation of what may happen this week and if this works out, Santa is leaving us with a big sack of coals.

As of this post, stock futures were trading lower along with the Euro as Asia sells off. As of 10pm EST Sunday night, no sign of any major unraveling of stock futures but as always we will watch the Euro as markets continue to trade tick for tick with the Euro. If we think back to 1987 that crash was triggered by a massive sell off in the dollar. This time around its a massive sell off in the Euro that will perhaps be the trigger mechanism. Or this could be just a lot of end of year noise showing up as we continue in the push and pull world we've been in since August.. Still i think we need to pay attention to this.

LAST WEEKEND BEFORE CHRISTMAS!

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MLPS are higher with the overall market after the open. The index is up about 1 point. One mlp that is not up but down 18 cents which for a stock with a 1 handle is a lot, is Constellation Energy Partners (CEP) which was once over 40 bucks. Is it year end tax selling or is it this piece of news or is it the prospect that this mlp is going bye bye? Down 18 cents at 1.86.

Stocks are higher with the dow up 80 and the S&P up nearly 13. The nasdaq is leading the way higher. The euro is now flat and the 10 year yield is down to 1.88. Is the 10 year telling us that a downgrade is coming later today?

Inergy LP (NRGY) priced its IPO of Inergy Midstream (NRGM) and that starts trading this morning. Nothing on the bid and ask yet.

Futures are at the highs of the morning calling S&P up 11 points. CPI at 8:30 which will be in line as it always is because we use core which means all the things we use that have been going up in price like food and rent don't count in the eyes of the federal reserve.

EURO UP, QUADRUPLE EXPIRTATION
AND A DOWNGRADE?

Headline risk exists on both side of the equation today as we have some legislative moves in Europe overnight which has markets a little higher. Italy had a bill passed saying they will reform which we all know is a huge joke but lets give them the benefit of the doubt this morning. In Germany there was a vote to withdrawn from the ESM which was defeated. The headline risk on the downside may come after the European markets close as everyone seems convinced that S&P will be downgrading a bunch of European countries. I would imagine this is priced in to some degree but if S&P were to take some country down 2 notches instead of one or downgrade and leave the outlook negative, that might cause a sell off. But for now at least we will probably start higher. The Euro is rallying up half a cent right now which is still pretty much a dead cat bounce from the low of 1.2950 on Wednesday.

Above and below are 2 charts of probably the best performing mlps of this year. Oneok LP on the top has been moving of late in almost parobolic fashion. The company has done everything right as it expands in all key markets and continues to grow its distribution. Its up over 20% from October alone. Still you have to wonder if this parobolic move has the look of a year end pile on and if one were to want to buy here or add to positions it might be wise to wait for a pullback.

Sunoco Logistics has been another star performer and note that it has sold off a bit after the stock split 3 for 1. The pullback has been into support and has been pretty reasonable in nature. This company continues to also do everything right and while both companies mentioned have had incredible runups...there is still no sign that these stocks have topped out.

The weekly MLP chart is interesting. Noticed the uptrend that began 3 years ago this month has now evolved into a sideways move. The question is whether we are consolidating in here before another upleg begins in 2012, or are we building a longer term top and setting up for a larger pullback in 2012.
The answer i believe will depend on what kind of overall market we see for next year. If we continue to muddle back and forth with no major meltdown of Europe or China or whatever, then money will continue to go to companies that can grow distributions and payout yields of 5 to 6% or higher. However should we have major market meltdown due to Europe, China, or whatever, or if credit markets seize up in a big way, then i would look for mlps to sell off as well. And in this we have the big question. But at least for this morning we can put off that question as stock futures are pointing to a higher open. Commodities are dead cat bouncing except for natural gas which will soon be given away for free. The dollar is correcting this morning which is lending support. 1225 on the S&P seems to be the new wall of resistence as we hit it yesterday only to pullback. We will probably open there this morning and we will see if sellers will come in ahead of the weekend.

DEF-CON 2

You have to love when you post almost at the low tick of the day and we have been coming off those lows ever since as the Euro makes its way back to 1.30 and trys to hold it. Dow is down 70, Nasdaq down 29, and mlps down less than 2 points. But commodities continue to remain near their lows with gold down 78 bucks and crude down over 4. I have to think that this intra day rally will run its course and more sellers will arrive late in the day. But, honestly, nothing surprises me anymore. The 10 year btw is at 1.92% which isn't exactly a ringing long term endorsement.

WORLD WIDE SELLOFF BEGINS?

The tape this morning certainly has the feel of something big. There are 2 realizations that may e finally setting in. The first is the Europe is not going to do what it needs to do because politically it does not have the will. Plain and simple. The sovreigns are bankrupt and i think that its going to take one headline at the wrong time to push this all over the edge. Commodity markets are crashing today. Gold is down 80 dollars today and under 1600. Someone is selling because they need cash and that means that there is some major institution out there under stress. The second realization is that while we are in better shape here relatively speaking, this idea that we can somehow stand alone while the rest of the world implodes, to me is just silly. We saw alot of the same logic pass in 2008 and we know how that ended.

The charts are not looking good. Short term double tops are in place on the S&P 500. We took out all the fibbonacci support this morning. The 50 day moving average is getting has been taken out. 1200 is the next stop and we could get there in a big hurry. After that its 1150 and then 1100. Its not looking good.

The mlp index has been the standout of strength but we are seeing signs here that we may be at an end of this. The index is down 4 right now and moving in line with energy as oil is down 4 dollars. When you have to sell..you sell what you got. The weekly chart shows what could be a long term double top being put in. We should watch that development carefully.




I have thrown up the nasdaq chart to illustrate the worst looking chart in the group as it is breaking down and gone into sell mode on the technicalls. Its not pretty out there.

Most mlsp are down major fractions to a point. Cheniere (LNG), Holly Partners (HEP) Alliance Resource Holdings (AHGP), and E V Partners (EVEP) are all down 1 or more with EV the biggest loser on the day.

The euro is at 1.3079 as of this post down another cent on news that Angela Merkel said something she has said 100 times before but it is beginning to sink into the market that Germany actually means what it says when it comes to shelling our more money to save Europe. That answer has been and continues to be a resounding N O.

Markets are off their highs. Mlps are fractionally lower with nothing major happening in either direction. Markets will probably mark time until the fed announces.

MARKWEST GOES TO MARKET!

Markwest Energy (MWE) bottomed in 2008 under 6 bucks AND more importantly never cut the distribtution back in the meltdown. The brave among you have enjoyed a 9 fold move plus a nice payout along the way. They have done everything right. This morning the stock is down on an equity offering but the company is going to buy out the rest of its Marcellus Venture from its partner.


The stock is down 1.70 pre market but with mlps being the star performers, its probably another buying opportunity in the longer term. This of course assumes that the world doesn't come to an end.
MLPS did pretty well yesterday losing less than a point with the dow down 160 on...drum roll please....EUROPE! Since we continue to be tied to the hip with the Euro i thought i would put up both the S&P chart and the Euro chart.


While both markets seem to be moving together, the almost tick for tick connection has only be a relatively recent relationship and who knows how long that will last. The moves from day today continue to be back and forth but the VIX is now under 25 which is probably telling us that the next few weeks with Christmas probably means that the market swings will be a little less mind blowing and volume continues to dry up. Famous last words.

This morning's open pretty much undoes yesteday's losses which undid Friday's gains which undid Thursday's losses. MLPS opened up and are still looking to decisively clear the 375 level. Crude is up. The Euro is unchanged after being up earlier. Bulls are frustrated. Bears are frustrated. And we have the Fed today at 2:15pm.

Btw i love this quote from an S&P economist speaking on the Euro mess. Read it fast and i will translate.

Six said the summit had made progress "in terms of getting the governments mentally ready to commit in writing in some constitutional format to a medium-term fiscal strategy which would allow the ECB to become what it is not at the moment, at least officially, a lender of last resort."

Okay in other words, they are planning a plan to create plan. And you wonder why markets realize that they've essentially gone no where.

It took 45 minutes for all of Friday's gains, which undid Thursday's losses, got undone. The dow is down 170 and the nasdaq is down 50 as markets are getting very nervous over Europe and the Euro which has finally started to unravel...about to test 132 which is the October low. If that goes it think you could see the equity sell off really get ugly. MLPS are holding up okay relatively speaking down only 2 points as of this post.

EV Partners (EVEP) is down a little over 1 as the biggest loser. Holly Partners (HEP), Buckeye (BPL) Alliance Resource (AHGP), Plains All American (PAA) and Natural Resource (NRP) are among the mlps losing major fractions. Cheniere Energy (CQP) is among the small list of winners up 50 cents as it signs another big deal on exporting liquid natural gas, this time to India.

Since i started writing this point we have come off a little off the lows but still down 160 on the dow. Its Europe folks and it doesn't look good.

Today btw is green Monday and what a better way than to spread some green. Christmas shop through my Amazon link here. It doesn't cost you a penny and Amazon pays me which helps out with my blog costs. And its a great way to say Merry Christmas to your humble mlp scribe!

MLPS GEARING UP (OR DOWN) FOR YEAR END!

We are entering the last 3 weeks of 2011 and there are 2 ways we can look at the short term future of mlps. This group has been among the years better performers. We started the year with the index near 365. We've been as low as 320 and as high as 390. The index right now is up about 3% with a total return around 10% on average. Not bad with the S&P flat as of today's open. If we see a run for performance in the next 3 weeks, mlps could shoot up to 390 and challenge all time highs. If Europe spins out of control then we could see a move to sell in order to save profits. Honestly with these swings back and forth, i can't begin to guess which way we will go.

The dow chart in the short term is back at the very top of the range which is just above the 200 day moving average. We've been turned back from here when the rally peaked in October. This second peak comes on worse technicals but these days technicals don't seem to be working very well. We keep getting a years worth of moves in a matter of days so as long as that condition exists its hard to to predict which way we will go. Longer term i am not optimistic. MLPS at least should provide relative saftey barring some completely collapse in credit markets.

No news of consequence this morning on the tape for mlps and no upgrade or downgrades that i can find so far. Stock futures are following Europe which has given back all of its post summit gains. Rates in Italy, Spain, and France are higher this morning which is making the euro shakey. Its down to 1.325 this morning. A break below 132 could be important as that could be a level that sends some banks to the borrowing windows of the ECB in order to keep their doors open. Crude and nat gas are both down. Interest rates here are down as a flight to relative quality.

ONCE AGAIN, ANOTHER MEETING,
ANOTHER CAN KICKING!

I happened to find this randomly last night and it is really worth watching. Like her or not Mrs Thatcher nailed it oh so many years ago.

The only thing decisive that came out of last night's end to the latest version of coffee at the espresso bar is that Britian has had enough and pulled out before the check came. As for the meeting itself it was another example of kicking the can down the road. Instead of a bazooka to solve euro woes we got (as wonderfully stated by Rick Santelli on CNBC) one of those pistols that blows bubbles. Market reaction has been much more muted this time around and European markets have been slowly eroding this morning. The euro hit 1.34 and has gotten turned back and we are almost flat there as well. Add to that warnings from Dupont, Texas Instruments, and others and we have the makings of a weak bounce at the open and then probably an attempt to take them down to very important support.
Moving averages on the down are around 11,800. On the S&P it all clusters around 1225. If we get there later today, a break there would be very bearish in my view.

MLPS lost 4 yesterday and has been fighting 375 on the index which is wall it can't get through. Enterprise (EPD) weighed on the index yesterday due to its equity offering. We are still an area of relative safety. I noticed yesterday that Sunoco Logistics (SXL) which is probably the best performer in the group was among the bigger percentage loser here. There is probably some year end action going on here with post split profit taking. Be advised that now that we have all sorts of ETN's and ETF's out there in MLP land, this sort of thing is going to happen. My worry is what happens here if the market really gets in trouble. With all the leverage out there there is the potential for things to get ugly. Another negative sign btw is crude oil which move further away from 100 on WTI and 110 on Brent. Its another sign that the economy is slowing down.

This morning corporate wise we have no news and no upgrades or downgrades. Markets were higher earlier but continue to slowly fade. The Euro as i post has now turned down. Crude is lower. And the best measure of what is happening is the 10 year which is at 1.98%. The bond market is telling us with a sub 2% yield is telling us that Europe solved absolutely nothing.

The rumor turned out to be a leaked summit draft which Germany rejected. Dow rallied from minus 180 to minus 90 and then when the news hit went in reverse to minus 226 before finishing down 196. Mlps finished down 4 and change.

Got to love the 3:15 rumor rally. Right on time and the dow goes from minus 180 to minus 130. They are so obvious. Not sure what the rumor is.

Markets off the lows including mlps. Euro is off its low. Would not be surprised if we rally in the last hour on one last chance to hope that Europe comes up with something in its meeting; other than a schedule for the next meeting. Dow off 140, S&P off 19, Nasdaq off 36, mlps off 4. Crude is closing down 2 bucks and near the lows of the day, under 100 bucks. Brent is at 1.08.

Market at the lows of the day down 175 on the dow industrials, nasdaq down 40 and mlps are down almost 5 points. The Euro is down a full cent as it tests 1.33. The VIX is over 30.

ECB SAYS CIAO BABY!!!

The markets have been holding on to this delusion that somehow the ECB was going to come to the rescue of Europe. If that is the case, this morning's announcement from the ECB that it plans to do absolutely nothing with regards to rescuing Europe, brought markets down to reality. Bulls are insisting that the ECB is not going to show its hand while politicians meet tonight in the latest meeting. Still you have to ask yourself that sometimes when it acts and quacks like a duck, IT IS REALLY A DUCK! If the ECB says we are not going to backstop the Eurozone debt in any way shape or form..it probably means it. Still there is a meeting tonight, and given the fact that any headline that gets floated this afternoon could move the market rapidly, an up close from here would not surprise me. Lunchtime has the dow down 120 and off the lows of the day.




I thought i'd throw up 2 charts of the S&P. Notice we have a potential double top here short term as once again the 200 day moving average turned the market south. Notice also that the 50 day moving average lies also where my fibbonacci moving averages are located..between 1220 and 1230. So there is a ton of support here underneath us.

The mlp index meanwhile was turned back at 375 and its down 4 points on the index. The chart here looks much better overall as the index holds above its 200 day moving average. The index is being dragged by a 9 million share offering from Enterprise Products Partners (EPD) which makes up a big part of the index.

So we are at lunchtime here on Wall Street. The Euro summit begins this afternoon our time. Here is a live blog thanks to the Financial Times. BTW crude is selling off and this is putting pressure on energy stocks in general. It should be a fascinating afternoon. Don't be surprised if we see a rumor that takes the market off its lows like it yesterday at 3:15pm. Someone refloated the IMF will rescue Europe rumor which was denied but it took the market up 120 points in a big hurry. Nothing is real!

MLPS just turned higher as the market comes off the lows of the day. ECB tomorrow.

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ITS ALL COMING TO A HEAD!

Okay so there are all different ways with this but for Europe the cyst is about to rupture (yuck!) as we have the ECB meeting tomorrow and the latest meeting of espresso drinkers (im one so i can say this) will come foward and tell us when the next meeting is. The latest new-old proposal about levering up the ESF by splitting it in 2 was rejected by the Germans. Yields in Europe are rising again in France and Italy. Yields are falling in Germany and here in the U.S. Its more of the same crap. Frankly i am shocked that the markets have been so patient and maybe its going to take a big financial accident to get Europe to act.

Since we can't seem to lance the Euro boil (yuck again) lets talk about more pleasant things like the mlp index which is sitting just 4 percent below its all time high but it is having trouble here getting decisively through the 375 level. Nustar (NS) is the latest to do an equity offering and that weighed on the index yesterday.



The headwinds on the charts come at the same time as the key metrics of the overall market have once again stalled at the 200 day moving average. This is the 3rd trip up in here and it will be the next 3 days that will decide whether we break above that or put in a top that will last for quite awhile. Some are predicting that this will not end well.


Some corporate news is an IPO that is coming as Inergy LP (NRGP) will be ipo-ing its midstream assets and the symbol there will be NRGM. Not much other corporate news in the group and no upgrades or downgrades. Stock futures are lower following Europe and the Euro. Crude is a little lower ahead of inventory numbers. Yields are lower as the dollar moves higher. The metals are a little higher. The open looms.

MLPS are still up but well off its highs as overall markets have sold off on the headline from the FT that S&P is putting 6 euro nations including Germany on credit watch negative. No comment from S&P yet. The mlp index is up 1.33. The dow is up 70 after being up 160.

The messiah is speaking right now and playing class warfare again. Last hour will be interesting especially if we get confirmation from S&P. Germany being on that downgrade list must have been a big surprise. The Euro has wiped out all of its gains and is now down under 1.34.

BREAKOUT!

MLP are breaking out of the top of the range which has been capped by 375 on the mlp index. Pre open we already have Kinder Morgan Partners (KMP) up 1 and change and knocking on the door of 80 dollars. The all time high on the mlp index is 390 and since the overall market is rallying on Europe solving all its problems this week, its hard to see what is going to stop it.

The dow chart is nearing the top of its recent range which is 12,200. Thats where the rally off the October 25th version of Europe solving its problems wound up. S&P futures are up 17 right now and dow futures means we open just shy of that 12,200. The market pretty much trades tick for tick with the euro which is at 1.3443 this morning, up 1/2 cent from Friday's close.


Back to mlps it is reasonable to assume that if the overall market holds together we could see an end of year rush into mlps since they are the only stock group that has done much of anything this year. So we could have portfolio managers rushing to by them which will put added buy pressure on Kinder Morgan (KMP), Enterprise Products (EPD) and maybe even Plains All American (PAA) which just made that billion plus purchase into the liquid natural gas market which is all the rage these days. Still all this positiveness could be dashed this week if the Europeans put off resolving their issues for a few more months where they can meet and sip espresso again. But of course we all know that European nations all just can't wait to give up their economic sovreignty to Brussels and are lining up to do so.

As the joy spreads everywhere this morning, crude is up, interest rates are up with the 10 year yielding at 2.10 percent. Nat gas is down sharply as winter has been cancelled. Bring on the open folks and enjoy the prosperity.

Mlps finished up a point on the index while the overall market came back to the flat line as the euro sold off hard to 1.34 from 1.3550. Spend ur weekend buying up motion sickness pills for the next 2 weeks.

We have rumours flying that Spain will be downgraded after Europe closes. The euro is down to 1.338 from 1.35.5 earlier today. Also congress is getting a bill ready to stop the IMF from lending money for a euro bailout. Here we are off the highs with the dow up 75 right now. The mlp index is up just under 2 points. Kinder Morgan (KMP) hits another all time high and nearing 80 bucks. Enbridge is down 1 and change on its equity offering.

WHAT WE DO DOESN'T MATTER!

If there was any remaining doubt that Europe is driving this bus, this morning should pretty much dispel that notion. Pre employment number trading was being totally driven by a rumor or made up news story that the ECB was going to lend money to the IMF. That sent euro stocks zooming higher and we of course followed along. The employment data was mixed at best and since a big number was built in to trading this week, anything was bound to sell off. Still we saw prices hold their gains until we got denials on the ECB rumors. And since then we're seeing markets pull back. So in the end its all about Europe. We will sink or swim on what their politicans decide at next Friday's summit where to hold the next summit and who will pay for the espressos. This is not a good place to be.

MLPS however remain a great place to be in all this turmoil. Not many sectors have held up like this one and you get paid 5-7% while you have your money parked here. Yesterday we saw a 4 point gain here, pushed higher by moves in Plains All American (PAA) spending 1.7 billion to expand its presence in the liquid natural gas market.

The stock moved up on the news and it has taken the mlp index ever close to its all time high of 390. It really is pretty much the last group standing in this market. This morning we have RBC raising its price target on Targa Natural Resources (NGLS). And we have a stock offering from Enbridge Energy Partners (EEP) which joins Holly Partners (HEP) who did an offering yesterday. No other news and no upgrades or downgrades. Stock futures are off the highs and we are at the place where the October rally stopped on October 25th. The Euro has come off 1.35 this morning which may be the new ceiling there. Bonds rates were higher but they have now turned a little lower as Europe comes off its highs.


The chart above is one i found yesterday and i think its worth paying attention to. Its a chart of investment grade corporate bonds. Notice that its been in a solid uptrend until early November when it has been falling. And note that it has pretty much broken its uptrend line. Is this chart sending us a signal that corporate debt is deteriorating? And while it has followed the equity market in general, it has not rallied at all this week with the dow up 900 plus points. I think we should keep an eye on this. Perhaps this is another indicator that stress in the credit markets continues to build.