Don't let the setup trade you.

It's really very simple. The private sector ran up too much debt. It didn't have the income to support the debt.

Lawrence G. McMillan reviews the options market in his weekly column for August 6.

What is this? Some kind of joke? No, it’s America’s Secretary of the Treasury, Mr. Timothy Geithner.

The Japanese-style correction is still underway. Consumers are careful about spending because they fear they might not have jobs. Employers are careful about hiring because they fear they might not have revenue.

Could the US economy experience Japanese-style deflation within the next several years?

There are some very smart people who believe inflation rates are going up – soon.

The economy of the US grew at a weaker than expected 2.4 percent in the second quarter, but the first quarter was revised back up to 3.7 percent on the strength of stronger-than-projected inventory rebuilding. But the recession years were revised downward rather significantly for this late in the cycle.

New homes sales will be unveiled on Monday, with the Case-Shiller Index being updated on Tuesday.  Both are forecasted to show modest improvements.

Can treating a trade as a bet improve your trading?