Edgar Peters Quotations

Certainly seeing more merger and acquisition activity going on encourages people too because it's a signal to them that things are undervalued.

The only thing that seemed to really move today was oil.

Results are coming in strong, but the market is concerned that this will not be sustained in the near future. There's still a lot of uncertainty, and demand for stocks is suffering because of that,

Trading volume is dwindling and we are probably not going to see large bets today and tomorrow, and especially after inconclusive economic data.

With energy prices at such high levels, any decline is very positive. The ease in oil is certainly helping the markets today.

You are seeing a relief rally. After all the days of selling we've been having, we can finally buy now.

Bonds at these yield levels offer very little value. Inflation is low but it's not that low to justify bond buying, especially given the U.S. economy is not slowing at a fast pace. Stocks offer a much better value.

Even if the Fed skips raising rates at the next meeting, it has to be seen as a symbolic act and not as a change in monetary policy. Stocks would only get a temporary boost.

Even though revenue is not growing as fast as profits, companies have been able to leverage what they have. Companies have been able to control costs and increase productivity.

Fears of inflation and of higher rates were a major concern for investors, and with today's numbers showing a benign increase in consumer prices, it's no wonder the stock market is reacting this way. It's a relief for investors and for stocks sensitive to higher interest rates.

People are thinking maybe there was an overreaction to the mad cow issue, and there is a little bargain hunting going on,

The oil data is giving some support to the stock market, especially given the mixed company earnings that have been released in the past couple of days. Declines in oil prices are always positive for equities.

Some people are beginning to get concerned with the housing market. That is enough to put some pressure on home builders and home-improvement stocks.

This is probably as good as it's going to get for the stock market any time soon. I don't believe the Fed is actually close to ending the rate hikes.

This basically shows that inflation is not really an issue.

They're still concerned about inflation. So I think we're in for at least one more rate hike, probably two. But things were put in a much more neutral tone.

The report showed the economy is quite strong and employment costs are rising and that's what the Fed is going to be concerned about.

It was encouraging that the Dow managed to stay above 11,000 yesterday, showing some firmness at that level. We may see some weakness linger, but we should overcome it.

It's much more likely now, I think, that the Fed will raise the fed funds rate to at least 5 percent.

A pause by the Fed would give a temporary boost to stocks.

The ISM Services data saved us from the Intel news this morning. With Intel there has been a lot of negative news that was already built in, so some of it may have been priced in. Investors now see the services sector is still growing, which is relieving the pressure the market has been under.

The economy is quite strong and employment costs are rising, and that's what the Fed is going to be concerned about. ... it's a negative for interest rates. It's much more likely now, I think, that the Fed will raise the federal funds rate to at least 5 percent.