Even Dozen for Bulls in Poll

The bulls are showing no signs of letting up in the new year, as they notched their 12th straight victory in TheStreet.com RealMoney Barometer survey.

Of the 1,005 votes cast, bulls got 543 votes, or 54%, while the bears could muster only 186 votes, or 18%. Neutral finished with 276 votes, or 27%.

In the sectors, precious metals was tapped as most likely to rise, which is rather incongruous considering the confidence in the stock market and the performance of stocks lately.

Homebuilding, as it has mostly been for months now, was seen as most likely to decline.

And in the first day of trading for 2007, the stock market got off to a partying start. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was at 12,526.03, up 63 points; the Nasdaq Composite was higher by 23 points, to 2438; and the S&P 500 was up 3.83 points, to 1422 -- all off their earlier highs.

This is a rare three-day trading week. The markets were closed Monday for New Year's Day and on Tuesday for the funeral of former President Gerald Ford.

The Nasdaq and the NYSE were closed for four consecutive days for the first time since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Crude oil futures were off $2.55 a barrel, to $58.50.

In one of the top stories of the day, Home Depot(HD Quote) ousted CEO Bob Nardelli. As TSC's Matt Goldstein reported: "Ending months of tumult at the Atlanta-based home-improvement retailer, Home Depot's board generously handed Nardelli $210 million Wednesday to pack his bags. Wall Street applauded, sending shares up 4% in midday trading.

"The move comes less than a month after a big shareholder, riled by Nardelli's hefty pay and the stock's long stupor, threatened to start a proxy fight if Home Depot's board didn't agree to review its strategy and corporate governance. The company agreed to a meeting but pledged to stay its charted course."

Below are the complete poll results.

Date	Bullish	Bearish	Neutral	Week Ending S&P % Change	Bullish Sector	Bearish Sector
Jan. 3	543 (54%)	186 (18%)	276 (27%)		Precious Metals	Homebuilding
Dec. 26	194 (37%)	179 (34%)	156 (29%)	+ 0.5%	Precious Metals	Homebuilding
Dec. 18	405 (61%)	114 (17%)	145 (22%)	- 1.1%	Integrated Oil	Homebuilding
Dec. 12	874 (54%)	307 (19%)	438 (27%)	+ 1.2%	Investment Bankers and Brokers	Homebuilding

Sector	Total Votes	Percentage
Aerospace and Defense	32	3%
Airlines	26	3%
Automobiles	14	1%
Beverages and Food Products	16	2%
Biotechnology	61	6%
Commercial Banks	44	4%
Computers and Peripherals	54	5%
Consumer Nondurables	27	3%
Energy Equipment & Services	92	9%
HMOs and Hospitals	19	2%
Homebuilding	32	3%
Insurance	23	2%
Integrated Oil	67	7%
Internet, Software Services	71	7%
Investment Bankers and Brokers	66	7%
Media	18	2%
Multiline Retail	16	2%
Pharmaceuticals	37	4%
Precious Metals	101	10%
Semis, Semi Equipment	64	6%
Telecom Equipment	37	4%
Tobacco and Alcohol	31	3%
Utilities	29	3%
Wireless Communications	26	3%
Source: RealMoney.com

Sector	Total Votes	Percentage
Aerospace and Defense	9	1%
Airlines	56	6%
Automobiles	111	11%
Beverages and Food Products	21	2%
Biotechnology	13	1%
Commercial Banks	17	2%
Computers and Peripherals	26	3%
Consumer Nondurables	20	2%
Energy Equipment & Services	45	4%
HMOs and Hospitals	15	1%
Homebuilding	163	16%
Insurance	9	1%
Integrated Oil	86	9%
Internet, Software Services	19	2%
Investment Bankers and Brokers	25	2%
Media	27	3%
Multiline Retail	76	8%
Pharmaceuticals	65	6%
Precious Metals	58	6%
Semis, Semi Equipment	34	3%
Telecom Equipment	19	2%
Tobacco and Alcohol	30	3%
Utilities	41	4%
Wireless Communications	15	1%
Source: RealMoney.com