[expat_panama]

5 out 6 business sectors aren't clicking, that gives cause for pause, which is why I have shied away from AAPL

It's not revenue or sales that mean a sector's clicking, it's profit and that's where AAPL shines--

True, their stock price sagged in '13 but since it's soared by 50% and the IBD check up is stellar:

 APPLE INC RANK WITHIN THE COMPUTER-HARDWARE/PERIP GROUP (17 STOCKS)

• Composite Rating 98 Rank within Group: 2nd
  94%
• EPS Rating 89 Rank within Group: 4th
  82%
• Relative Strength Rating 93 Rank within Group: 5th
  76%
• SMR Rating A Rank within Group: 1st
  100%
  Best in Group
• Acc/Dist. Rating B Rank within Group: 5th
  76%

[expat_panama]

Good morning and a happy midweek/midmonth to all!  Talk about indecision, after yesterday's metals jump & stock hit the future's guys have now reversed that.  Again.  Lots of reports today:

MBA Mortgage Index
PPI
Core PPI
Net Long-Term TIC Flows
Industrial Production
Capacity Utilization
NAHB Housing Market Index
Crude Inventories
Fed's Beige Book

Other news:

• China posts strong 7.5% growth in June quarter   Business Today
• European stocks rise on China GDP, eyes on Yellen; Dax up 0.54% NASDAQ - 2 hours ago Investing.com - European stocks were higher on Wednesday, supported by the release of upbeat Chinese growth data and as markets awaited additional comments by Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen later in the day.
• Apple Upgraded: Three Reasons to Buy Shares Now Barclays is bullish on Apple Inc. So optimistic, in fact, that the firm says it is "back on board" with the iPhone and iPad maker's stock price and expects the recent rally to continue in the ... The Wall Street Journal
• Fed Chairman Yellen Puts On a Brave Face - John Makin, RealClearMarkets
• The Fed's Failed Monetary Experiment About to End - Editorial, Investor's
• JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs smiling today CNNMoney - 6:38am That was the takeaway from the company's second-quarter earnings Tuesday: growth in consumer and community banking made up for a sharp drop in trading revenue.
• Hungry U.S. Power Plant Turns to Russia for Coal Shipment When New Hampshire ’s largest utility needed to rebuild coal supplies after the past frigid winter, it turned to Russia rather than Appalachia in the U.S. Northeast or Wyoming’s Powder River Basin. The Doric Victory, a bulk carrier the length of two football fields, transported the fuel almost… Bloomberg