At the end of every month, I have a reminder set in my PIM that it is time to take a closer look at this month's high-volume gainers and losers. Why do I do this? Simply put, it enables me to focus my attention on stocks that have simply slipped through the cracks that I might not have noticed otherwise. In this month's review, there are quite a few new names on both lists, which is not all that unusual for a strong rally month. Take a look:

Sitting in cash today enabled me to have some time to look over my performance for the month of November.

As you can see from updated track record, like just about everyone else I had a good, but not particularly great month overall. I made 11 trades (10 winners & 1 loser) and the total profit was $25,418.50. For the month, my trading portfolio was up +2.9% (well below the +3.5% gain in the Dow & S&P 500 and the +5.2% gain in the Nasdaq).

My biggest mistake in November was not letting my etf winners run. I took profits too soon (as usual), and while in hindsight that cost me money, I would do the same exact thing if presented with the

Given the nice gains in November, the herd continues to take their profits.

Positive news about the economy failed to work stocks higher and inflation concerns continue to linger putting some pressure on the financials and utilities. Leadership continues to be soft overall, but when all is said and done, we're still seeing nothing but garden-variety consolidation. Hope remains alive and well for a bullish December, if not a repeat performance. As long as the market continues to consolidate these gains, that optimism will only continue to build.

I hope everyone has a nice evening. I plan to eat some pizza, watch Mr. and Mrs. Smith on DVD, and get a good night's rest. That sounds like a good plan to me. See you tomorro

Good morning. On this first day of December premarket futures point to a positive open for the market. We all know the stats - the market tends to rise on the first trading day of a new month and given this week's consolidation of recent gains, there is foundation for a strong trading day ahead.

While the economic data is in focus (same stores sales, personal income & spending, unemployment benefits, ISM, auto sales), we know that investors will take their primary trading clue from the tape itself. The current perception is that like last year, December will be a good month for the market and build further on November's impressive gains. Like always, perception is reality. Have a productive and profitable day!