The Day Ahead: Stay as Sharp as a Chainsaw

Special Programming Note

I can see the writing on the wall this Election Day. Investors take a break from watching green and red colors blink on a trading screen to venture off to the voting booths. Then they return and sit patiently in front of the television screen, attempting to gain clues on who may have won the race, and in the process they lose focus on Mr. Market's real-time messages. Complacency enters the mix.

Don't be this gawker, please, and I am offering my services to prevent such a grave mistake. I have put complete life on hold -- refraining from grabbing food, talking with family and so on -- to assist in bringing you up-to-the-minute investing messages regarding the election. Please Twitter bomb me with questions, sharp insights and fun, provocative hashtags.

Four years ago I sat in a dungeon reading emails from clients on how they felt powerless as the election unfolded. But the reality then, as it is now, couldn't be further from the truth. Seize on your passion for investing and the need to be positioned correctly out of the election gate.

Moving Right Along

There is absolutely nothing anyone could add to the election debate, and constructing any new probabilities would be a waste of time. Sure, I could fill you head with fluff -- for instance, California's Proposition 30 would up the state's sales tax, and that would be no good for Costco (COST), which has a high store count there. I could also rehash discussion on the fiscal cliff. But why bother? After all, regardless of what happens, you will be tested severely as soon as the winner is declared -- which, based on my sources, will be around 11 p.m. EST on the major networks.

That sad, I have opted to disseminate a few broader themes and ideas for you to consider as watch your trading screens carefully and draw your own conclusions.

Transports and Jobs Stocks, OMG. I'm haven't been particularly keen on the action in the Dow Jones Transportation Average since the October jobs report. Maybe there Hurricane Sandy-triggered impact on the supply chain is baked into the cake, since interruptions mean margin risk. Or perhaps the real worry is that, no matter which candidate wins, the economy continues to drive in second gear. In fact, if Governor Romney grabs the prize, this may well be an indication that the economy is in the type of dire straits not delineated in the various data points we've seen.

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