US stock investors may have many reasons to be thankful during this 2009 holiday season, not the least of which is a +25.0% YTD performance for the S&P 500 on a total return basis.  It's not hard to believe that few, if any, prognosticators on 3/09/09 (i.e., 9 ½ months ago), looking at an S&P 500 that was down 24.6% YTD, envisioned that a +66% rebound was just beginning (source: BTN Research). 

Americans believe, rightly or wrongly, that our nation still may experience significant economic troubles in 2010.  As President Obama was taking office in January of this year, 59% of Americans surveyed felt the country was "on the wrong track."  Now, almost a year later, the percentage of pessimistic Americans has climbed back up to 55%, its highest level since the inauguration.  In spite of the nation's negative view of its future, the unemployment rate fell in 36 US states in November and rose in just 8 states (source: NBC/Wall Street Journal telephone poll, DOL).
   
OPEC's final meeting of 2009 will take place in Angola on Tuesday (12/22/09).  Saudi Arabia's oil minister declared that today's oil price ($73.36 a barrel) was "perfect."  Global demand for oil is projected to be 86.3 million barrels a day in 2010, up +1.7% from 2009 (source: International Energy Agency).