Ben Halliburton Quotations

I think we are likely to remain in a trading range for some time.

People have been concerned that Intel's margins are in contraction mode, so what they say about that will be noteworthy.

My preference would be to see a dramatic increase in the dividend; I think they'd get more bang for their buck. They clearly have the financial capability to triple it; I think they could attract more investors and get a higher stock price more readily.

I think Greenspan basically said the obvious, that long rates are too low and against his desire for the economy to grow ... His comments indicated that the Fed will remain in a tightening stance and that we should see further raising as the year progresses.

I think the stock market is digesting a very strong end of the year.

This trend of the stabilization of the broad stock market we've been seeing lately will continue through the year. We saw a sharp recovery in stock prices last year, but right now stocks are fairly valued versus the underlying fundamentals.

We'd concur that '06 is not going to be a gangbuster year for increases in tech spending. Everybody's still waiting for a strong recovery after the 2000 bust.

As the major indexes move near four-year highs, there are some risks for stocks. But the economy is growing at a solid pace, as the payrolls number showed, bond yields remain low and there is still excess of capital out there, looking for good returns.

Earnings growth for the S&P 500 continues to be robust, and could end up beating north of 10 percent for the year.

The stock market is hoping that the Katrina effect will cause the Fed to stop its campaign, or at least pause, until it becomes clear just how big the impact of Katrina is on the economy.

Profitability in the first-quarter and beyond is going to continue to be strong and the broader economy is clearly in a recovery phase,

Consumers are going to be in for an ugly winter, heating their homes and fueling their cars, ... As a result, consumer spending in other areas is going to change.

The biggest concern is how high the Fed will go with rates. That's clearly destabilizing the markets and causing choppiness.

I'm not quite sure how he thought it was an economic deal at $5 ... I don't think that's the case.

I think now that that is digested, people are looking at some reasonable values; our view is that crude oil prices are going to remain high.

Gas prices are going to keep rising and that's going to have a negative impact on consumer spending and consumer sentiment.

The earnings reports are going to be the big driver in the next few weeks. What companies say they earned in the fourth quarter is going to be less important than what they say about the rest of the year.