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Happy hump-day, one and all. We've actually got quite a bit to work through today, so let's not tarry. Let's just dive in, starting with the item I'm sure weighing on your mind most right now... what the heck is going on with the market right now?

This won't be the first time you've heard me say this, but traders just have no conviction at this point in time. The S&P 500's low-to-high range this year has spanned about 13% of its current value, confirming volatility has been plentiful. But, the S&P 500 is essentially flat for the year so far, telling us traders can't justify higher or lower prices for any length of time.

It's been maddening to say the least. I'd love for the market to move higher, though I don't care if the market moves lower; I can make money in both environments. I just need it to make some net-movement, which is the one thing it hasn't done much of this year.

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Welcome back from the weekend, everyone. Yeah, it wasn't the greatest start to the new trading week today... a real disappointment considering just how strong the market was on Friday. On the other hand, we can't say we're entirely surprised the rally effort fizzled when and where it did. Stocks have been choppy and have lacked any real follow-though all year long, so why should now be any different?

I've got a theory on the matter too. Before we get to my theory though, let's talk real quickly about today's action, and zero in on a chart of the S&P 500 since we talked about the NASDAQ Composite at length on Friday.

As they say, read 'em and weep.

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Good Wednesday morning, one and all.

As we explained in Monday afternoon's newsletter, this week we've got a two-parter for you. If you missed the first part, we recommend you go back to Monday's edition and read through it first. If you're on board with Monday's premise though, proceed. We'll just simply remind you that (1) M&A is really paying off in 2015, and (2) it may be a good idea to invest in companies executing a roll-up strategy in the right industries.

With that as the backdrop...

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Good morning everybody.

You know those instances where a stock does something unusual and then it all makes perfect sense afterwards? Well, some of you may have noticed a lot of strength and some unusually high volume from featured stock Giggles N Hugs (GIGL) yesterday. All told, it gained 33% on Monday. The reason for the big move became clear today.

As a reminder, Giggles N Hugs is a brilliant, budding restaurant chain that combines a playground and a healthy kids menu in an environment parents can feel good about.

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Howdy folks. You can definitely tell a holiday and holiday-weekend (sort of) are approaching. Trading activity is already starting to fade. Tis the season - people have turkey on their minds. If you thought today was slow, wait until Wednesday and Friday.

That said, do know that we will be publishing both of those days. There may not be a great deal to talk about, but you can bet if it's worth discussing, we'll be hashing it out. We'll also take some time on those two days to take a look at some things we don't always have time to talk about. I've got some sector-analysis and economic analysis on my mind, and that would be a good chance to get it on the table. I'm also looking to give you guys a final assessment of third quarter's overall earnings.

In any case, before I forget, a couple of our Featured Stocks at the site will be attending next week's LD Micro Cap Conference in Los Angeles. In fact, both will be making presentations.