Weekend Reading: Year-End Cheer

Good Sunday. Here are some articles and papers worth reading. First, however, a look back at the week that just finished, and a look forward at the week ahead.

The major markets all advanced again. The Dow advanced 1.5%, while the S&P 500 gained 1.2%. The Nasdaq Composite turned in a 1.5% gain, a nice addition to the prior week's increase, which was the Nasdaq's biggest weekly move up since August 2004. Click here for the weekly performance.

It was another good week, fueled by lower energy prices and a general sense that a year-end rally is now a given. There is also a stock rotation going on, with money moving out of energy stocks and into other sectors that are seen as less expensive, such as technology, which is newly in vogue. ...