It is an election year after all

On the first trading day of the new quarter, the markets continued to rally.
April Fool's day fell on Sunday leading one to wonder whether the market is making a "Poisson d'Avril" (April Fish) out of investors?
It is a holiday-shortened week with the U.S. markets closed on Friday for Easter (Good Friday), while the European markets are closed on Monday as well.
Given the slowing trading volumes around the holidays, absent any serious negative catalyst, the positive sentiment in the markets is likely to continue.
Earnings kick off next week with Alcoa and Chevron reporting on April 10.
JP Morgan and Wells Fargo kick off earnings for the banks next week; results are likely to surprise on the upside.
The investor magazine Barron's ran an interesting election analysis piece over the weekend.
Regardless of the outcome of the 2012 Presidential election, Barron's posits that the Republican Party will strengthen its control of the Congress and likely gain control of the Senate.
Given the likely implications of such an outcome on tax policy, Barron's deems the scenario market-positive and therefore good for investors.
Whether or not Barron's is right or wrong about the scenario for Congress, the election dynamic has historically been good for the markets.
This player broke down to the hype and finally watched "The Hunger Games" over the weekend.
While highly entertaining, the movie adaptation of the novel had some strong subliminal messages about income inequality and state rights versus Federal powers.
It is an election year after all.
When is the movie adaptation of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale coming up?
Speaking of April Fool's former Goldman employee and NY Times op-ed writer (of ping pong fame) Greg Smith may have made a "Poisson d'Avril" out of everyone.
Many naively assumed that his motivations were driven by altruism.
Smith is about to receive a $1.5 million advance for a "tell-all" novel from his publisher.
On a positive note, New York City was ranked first as a city (above London, Paris, Tokyo, and Hong Kong) in a worldwide survey of global business centers.
Thanks go to Mayor Michael Bloomberg.