An unprecedented three rounds of central bank stimulus have helped drive the S&P 500 up 149 percent from a 12-year low in 2009. The index slumped as much as 5.8 percent after Bernanke signalled on May 22 that the Fed could start scaling back bond purchases as soon as September. Stocks have since recovered all those losses as data on hiring and housing bolstered confidence in the economic recovery. Profit at companies listed on the S&P 500 rose 2 percent last quarter, down from a projection of 8.7 percent six months ago, according to analyst estimates. “Many companies are lowering expectations before we get into the quarter on the hope that they beat them,” “We don’t know how much longer companies can get blood from the stone.”

Retail sales rose less than projected in June. The 0.4 percent gain followed a 0.5 percent increase in May that was less than previously reported, Commerce Department figures showed today. The median forecast called for a 0.8 percent advance.

George Zimmerman is a free man after a jury in Florida found him not guilty for shooting an unarmed 17 year old boy, Trayvon Martin, claiming self defence. It just goes to show the world, there is no logic, in interpretation of the American Constitution, in regards to the right to ‘Bear Arms’. It is shameful that the Gun Lobby continues to support this lunacy. It is all about the money, as they fund the politicians blinding their vote and moral obligation.

_Reference Market Watch/BloomBerg/Zerohedge