I Will Survive!

Executives are hunkering down and shifting into survival mode. 190 corporate officials surveyed by the Conference Board say that execution of business strategy is the top priority, but almost half say they are concerned with flexibility and speed - and their company’s ability to adapt to change. The report was tendered by the Wall Street Journal, which goes on to note that this number is up from a quarter late last summer.

Furthermore, financial risk and global economic performance were the fourth and fifth top concerns; it's important to note that neither made the top 10 in an earlier poll. Conference Board CEO Jon Spector said business leaders are struggling with “unprecedented change.”

For more on these markets, see Toddo’s Random Thoughts: Bears Dig in Their Paws.

From the Bull Pen: A tactical approach remains the strategy for bulls in this environment. Consider Research In Motion (RIMM) to the upside; sell stops can be set below $44.

From the Bear Cave: Fear is in the air. But it will subside. And so will the flight to Treasuries. Bears can consider playing the Ultrashort 20+ Treasury ETF (TBT); sell stops can be set 2 points from entry.


Quick Check Around the World

Asian trading closed with the Hang Seng -4.04%, Nikkei -6.89%, Sensex -3.68%, Taiwan -4.53% and Shanghai -1.67%.

Across the pond, we see the CAC -2.30%, DAX -1.73%, FTSE -1.65%

As of 8:15 a.m. EST, S&P Futures are trading -7 to 805, and Nasdaq futures are -9 to 1083.


A Look At Commodities

Crude oil is trading -1.62 to 52.00. Gold is +11 to 747.40. Silver is +0.050 to 9.360 and copper is -6.050 to 159.45.

The dollar index is +0.320 to 87.631.


On the Radar

Economics

08:30 Initial Jobless Claims
08:30 Continuing Claims
10:00 Philly Fed
10:00 Leading Indicators

Click here for the full trading radar.

Good luck today!