Market Analysis

Stocks are up slightly and bonds relatively flat with a slight negative bias.  Markets are responding to news that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) wants to increase its bailout fund by $500 billion so that it can be prepared to assist in containing Europe's debt crisis.

In economic news, the December Producer Price Index was down .1% vs expectations for an increase of .1%.  The Core PPI (excluding food and energy) was up .3% which was higher than the .1% expected.  December Industrial Production came in up .4% vs exectations for a .5% increase.