The Market On Tuesday

  Good morning. It is 70 degrees and sunny here in the Upper Hudson Valley. Thunderstorms are predicted for sometime later today. I listened to Obama yesterday as he spoke about the downed airliner in the Ukraine. I thought he got all the major points across. What a pointless tragedy, the guilty parties need to be put away in prison for the rest of their sadistic lives far removed from reasonable society.

  At 8:30 a.m. ET futures are modestly higher and the price of oil per barrel is up. The market is poised to open higher.

  As far as I can see second quarter results have been at or above expectations but the indexes have not moved much due to the "tensions" in the world. This morning it is corporate results that are taking the lead and propping up futures. One can never predict if this will hold through the day but if more results come in above expectations, well then it could turn markets in the positive direction through to closing. What can we say it is a volatile period with the Ukraine and the Middle East boiling. Throw something else unexpected into that mix and you get the idea.

CNN: Stocks: 4 things to know before the open

Shares in Chipotle were surging by roughly 10% in premarket trading after the fast-food chain posted earnings that beat expectations.

... tensions in Ukraine appeared to ease slightly.