Alan Ackerman Period Quotations

We're in a period when capital spending has slowed to a waltz, corporate profitability is hardly visible, and balance sheets are just inundated with debt ? that's not a comfortable picture. Each day is a new adventure in the market. There's lots of money on the sidelines but no willingness to commit.

With a market as nasty and negative as it is at the moment, there's little room for error. The Nasdaq has contracted very sharply in a short period of time. Its drop in a year is approximately 60 percent, but this is not representative of all companies that are publicly traded.

Right now, there are bulls, there are bears and there are plenty of bewildered. We're trying to get through a period of very complex cross-currents, and so far the market's done remarkably well.

The market has weathered a poor earnings period and increased anthrax anxiety and has come out of it pretty well. I'm encouraged. The imminent economic stimulus package and Federal Reserve cuts are providing further encouragement,

Most of the retailers are watching their advertising dollars very carefully. This is not going to be an easy period for retailers but it could be worse. Tax refunds are certainly playing some positive role in consumer spending patterns.