Small changes today

There was not a lot happening today. Dow rose 16, advancers & decliners were about equal while NAZ dropped 16 on more nervousness that a weakening global economy could bite hard. NYSE volume remains modest at 1.2B. S&P 500 FINANCIALS INDEX had a good day, up 4 to 294, but remained under 300 where it has lived for 10 weeks. Oil rallied by the end of the end, settling down only pennies, still in the 109s. The Alerian MLP index fell, down 4 to 267s. Worries about damage to their pipelines could have triggered selling.

For the brave who want to know how buy oil or sell oil, here are 2 key ETF funds. The DUG is ultra short for the ultra bear & USO is for those who want play the bullish side. This year they've already had their share of wild swings, chances are more will come. They are definitely not for the nervous, but fun to watch:

DUG -- UltraShort Oil & Gas ProShares





USO -- United States Oil Fund LP





I got to see inflation strike home. A local 99¢ store just raised prices to $1.29 for some of their stuff. They explained it was needed to survive. That inflation effect struck close to home for me.

Auto sales for Aug aren't looking good:

• Ford, GM, Toyota Sales Fall as Auto Slump Persists- AP

The FED's Beige Book, continuing on the sluggish auto sales theme, reports history that we know. Times are tough for the economy however inflation may moderate from current high levels.

Fed Beige Book Says Economy `Slow' in Most Regions as Price Pressures Rise

Retailers will be reporting results in the next couple of days on "back to school" business. This gives a early glimpse on holiday business, expectations are for weak results.