TIME OFF WORK

Took a couple extra days off work this week.  Just needed some down time, so I went to the Isle of Capri casino in Booneville.  Played the slot machines for a couple of hours, lost $50, but I had a good time.  Decided to go to Sedalia for some shopping at Big Lots.  Didn't find anything there, but I did pick up a nice addition to my Egyptian collection, later in the day, at Hobby Lobby.  So it's been a relaxing weekend overall.

Going forward this week we'll be looking at the GDP report and the report on consumer confidence.  Experts aren't expecting much of either report, so any surprise gains could bode well for stocks.  Also, a great deal of money has been moving out of government bonds lately and the money has to go somewhere.  If a decent percentage is reinvested in the market we could see some additional gains.  I'm looking for the big push, one way or the other, to come after the November elections.  However, we could see movement before the elections as investors factor in expected election results.  Just have to wait and see.

Collected some good dividend payments in the past few weeks, including my last payment for this month from Windstream (WIN: NASDAQ).  They have a current dividend yield of 8.03% on their recent share price of $12.45.  However, I would caution that their current earnings may not support continued payment of such a high dividend.  Right now I'm holding on to the stock since I bought in at a lower price and my yield is closer to 10%, but I am watching it very closely.  If earnings do not pick up I may be selling my position and moving the money elsewhere.