Nice to be back from vacation...need to get back in the flow of this whole blogging thing, so here are just a few quick notes late on a Monday:

The Good

Oil's pullback will provide some relief for the economy, so I tend to buy into the way this market has been trading: commodities down, most other sectors up.  This pullback has been sharp and swift so we should see a short-term commodities bounce sometime soon. However, enough damage has been done to the raw materials leaders of the recent past that I do think the action of the last week could dominate for some time.

I've probably just jinxed this market by having said this so expect a big down day tomorrow (with commodities rallying), but it feels like different action than we've seen in a long time.

If a little relief does come to the global economy, dry bulk shipping stocks, which have taken such a pounding recently, may have set up nicely for another buying opportunity like January's, but I'll have more to say on this sector in coming days-- a lot more, I assure you.  S, E, A... three little letters to keep in mind...

The Neutral

Guess I'll have to update the photo on the website...after nearly 3 years, I ditched the goatee this morning. The good news: it's cleaner-looking. The bad: it more clearly unveils that fact that I need to shed a few 'ell-bees.' Also, I should have thought about doing it at the beginning of a vacation week, not the end; since I got a little color while away, a nice white goatee shadow remains! 

The Awful

By now, you've undoubtedly read about the Beijing stabbing of the in-laws of USA Volleyball coach, Hugh McCutcheon. Due to having met the coach a few months ago at a private dinner, our firm, Delta Global, immediately became corporate sponsors of the USA men's volleyball team, which trains out of nearby Anaheim. We did it for one reason: because I met Hugh and his wife, Elisabeth, and immediately liked them both-- a lot. They're just humble, wonderful people who deserve nothing but the best.

I've seen him a few times since and I almost blogged here about how excited I was for this team after seeing them at their send-off event a couple weeks ago, so this news is saddening on so many levels.

Don't forget, those players are victims in a way, too. They now have to play through their sadness and without their coach, who has them playing great (ranked #3 in the world) and in position to medal for the first time since 1992 when they won bronze. Whether or not Hugh makes it back makes little difference as caring for his family is obviously the priority. Those players have trained their whole lives, though, so there's nothing wrong with rooting a little extra hard for this excellent bunch of guys.