James Awad Profit Quotations

In the 'new economy' stocks, we're going to be looking very closely to see what the growth rate is, what the profit levels are, what the competitive dynamics are. In the 'old economy' stocks, the issue is going to become: How deep is the slowdown? Where does it end? And so people are going to be doing it stock by stock. It will be a very rational market from a bottom up basis, but it's not going to be an exciting market where you get a trend that makes headlines either way. So I think it'll frustrate both the bulls and the bears.

With the election clearing the deck, I think you'll see more momentum. If you're going to have a 10 percent increase in corporate profits next year, I don't see why you couldn't be up 20 percent (in mergers and acquisitions).

You're seeing some profit taking in these areas.

The profit outlook is not good and is deteriorating. Profit outlook is what drives stock prices.

I think retail is going to be a very tough place to make money. What's worrying the market now is -- if the Fed is successful in slowing the economy, what does it mean for profits going forward? And that is apparent - that's more clearly an issue in retail than anyplace else. But it is an issue in the market itself that you're going into a period here where profit growth may decelerate; in fact, could flatten out as you have volume gains decelerate in a slowing economy, but cost increases embedded in from the period when you had a strong economy; and that's not exactly a great prescription for profits, and I think that's troubling the stock market,

This market isn't going to turn around until investors see the whites of the eyes of a profit recovery, and you're not likely to see that until the fourth quarter.

I don't think the market can make a lot of headway until we get an idea of the depth and breadth of the profit recession.

The market needs to walk a line between too little growth and too much growth, between profits and interest rates. The jobs report tilted the market toward too little growth.