Alan Skrainka Quotes (46 Quotes)

It's just been a very quiet day. Nobody wants to make a big bet prior to tomorrow's decision. People are pretty convinced that the Federal Reserve won't make a change to rates but they want to see the statement. It doesn't make a lot of sense to make a big commitment today when you have such an important meeting tomorrow (Tuesday).

I do think the majority of Alan Greenspan's work is done.

The easiest thing is to be bullish when the market is rising and bearish when the market is falling. But as we all know, that's not how to make money in the stock market.

Small business owners have a great stake not only in what's going on in the stock market, but what's happening in the overall economy as a result.

The last seven 'bear' markets -- if you measure a bear market by a 20 percent drop -- have quickly forecast economic recessions. For people with 90 percent of their net worth tied up in a small business, it bears watching.

It just reflects Wall Street's manic-depressive mood. In the meantime, you have some selective cautious buying, but I think people are much more cautious and not just jumping in on any dip.

I think people placed bets today based on (the data). By buying stocks today, you are assuming we won't get bad news tomorrow.

I don't see people making big commitments. It's a holiday weekend and there's just no catalyst to get things going.

There has been a lot of s elling that has taken place and you see so many analysts that are throwing in the towel. I think when investors wake up three or so years from today, they are going to look back on this time as a buying opportunity.

It's just the nuttiest argument that I've ever heard -- this whole idea of old economy versus new economy assumes that we're all going to be sitting around in the dark, naked and hungry, surfing on the Internet. The idea that you don't need food companies or companies like Procter Gamble anymore is just nuts.

(U.S. companies) now have to compete against this flood of cheap Asian imports.

Our advice is that for a very small portion of your portfolio 5 percent it's OK to own gold or a broader basket of commodities. But don't do this because it's popular or exciting. If you're investing in gold, you need to stay committed through good times and bad.

Investors took advantage of the sell-off Friday to add to their portfolio. There are some good values with the blue chips.

It's (Johnson Johnson) very reasonably priced, relative to its prospects, and while JJ may be at a yearly high, again, we think it is pretty close to its five-year low, if you are talking about the next five years.

So many Americans are consuming by using their home equity. If you can't afford a standard mortgage, you probably shouldn't be buying a home.

Over the last six years, we have experienced the largest drop in priceearnings ratios in the history of the U.S. stock market, going back to 1871. 2006 has the potential to be a great year for stock investors.

It's a very cautious market. We're saying take a step back from the day-to-day and look at the big picture.

We feel we can do a service to our customers if we just get the overall trend right. We don't really practice technical analysis or try to guess the price points next week. But the trend does look like it's higher, because the Fed now is probably shifting into neutral earnings are very strong. And because the Fed acted promptly they ensured we would have another year of solid growth next year. That is what the market is anticipating.

Technology is still the fastest growing segment of the US economy. Earnings are growing at 20-30 percent year over year, and US companies lead the world in almost every major category.

Techs were hot and everything else was not on confusion about the future of interest rates. When the interest-rate picture is cloudy, the focus turns to earnings. And earnings in the tech sector have been good.

We think it's time for investors to be cautious about technology stocks.

They already made an investment decision prior to the rule change being official.

I'm hopeful that we're nearing the end of this series of tightening. I don't think we have a serious inflation problem. With strong productivity, unit labor costs are under control.

Long-term investors know this (rate cut) is a green light to get back into the market.

Investors are focusing on Greenspan and the fact that he said they (the central bank) had increased rates four times and it did little to slow the economy. He is saying more work needs to be done.

The word for 2001 is look for opportunities. There are problems in the economy but they have gotten aggressive responses from policy makers.

I don't think we can read anything at all into it. It's a lack of conviction and a lot of fence-sitting.

People are waiting for the Fed. I think the Fed will leave rates alone, probably say that the risks are tilted toward inflation and people are also saying they'll come back in August and hike again.

What you have going on in this market is a flight to quality, which is the blue chips, as tech stocks are priced to perfection.

Maybe it's concern that the economy may have more of a hard landing. The economy grew a little faster than expected, so people might be thinking we're not done as far as interest rate hikes are concerned.

The bond market was so weak all day that it pushed the broader market lower. Investors weren't talking about if the Fed will raise rates, but how much.

The war phase in Iraq seems to be winding down. I think in the months ahead consumer confidence will improve. It's a mistake to just look at the short term. I think it's more important to think about the third and fourth quarters.

I think people are looking for good value in the market and they're finding it in 'old economy' stocks. What these companies have in common is they're all viewed as great companies at a strong price that are not dependent on a slow economy.

We think they do have a great pipeline in the areas of cardiovascular, cancer and AIDS. These are the fastest growing areas in the pharmaceutical industry.

This economy is facing a temporary setback. What it's going to take is time.

It looks like the threat of breaking up the company has been taken off the table and is beginning to fade.

We think, in the short run, psychology drives the market but in the long run, fundamentals drive the market. We see very low inflation and no inflationary pressures. We think, going forward, expectations have come back down in line with fundamentals and we won't have the pressure of Fed rate hikes over the next 12 months.

We may be entering a recession here. So if I owned a small business, I would pay very close attention to controlling costs and develop a contingency plan.

Individual investors have to separate the statistical noise of week to week numbers and focus on the big picture.

I think the performance gap between the new-economy and old-economy stocks is like a rubber band it seems to be snapping the other way. The new economy sounds very exciting, but you're still going to need food, medicine and electricity to survive.

I think this is one time the Fed is behind the curve.

There's still a lot of concern about slowing personal computer sales and reduced corporate information technology purchases.

I think it was a very volatile and directionless week. Investors should tap on the brakes a few times and strap on their seat belts. (Last week) was very earnings driven, and now it's shifting and people are going to focus once again on value.

I think investors should take a step back and look at the big picture. I think the (Fed) is doing its job and investors should do theirs -- avoid those companies that do not have a track record of growth.

Albertson's is truly a value stock, the third-largest grocery chain, with a very stable predictable business with 29 years of higher earnings. The stock was really clobbered since they announced a merger last year that didn't quite work out. But it's still a wonderful company, at 10 times earnings.

There's cautiousness about the interest-rate outlook --- a bit of consolidation after very strong gains.