July 4 trading

A famous old joke asks if they have a July 4 in England. The answer is yes, followed by a July 5th. While the US markets are closed, saving us more declines, other markets were open. Unfortunately they pretty much sold off in a gloomy environment. Major Asian markets declined (OK, Hong Kong managed a 1% gain). European markets declined, typically at least 1%. Bloomberg TV showed decliners led advancers 2-1 for American stocks trading in Europe. Enjoy today's holiday while keeping your powder dry.