Up, up and away as the Dow rose 224 points on good volume. The advance/declines were negative though. The summation index has turned back up. We got a very strong move from the extremely oversold condition for the market last week. We are now at the moment of truth as we are just about at the declining tops line for the S&P 500. We're not completely overbought here but it has been a straight line up and I do not think it will continue. I did place a couple orders for the SPY February puts today but they weren't filled. Option premiums remain elevated and that is an issue. However I'm leaving my put order out there and if we do get some upside tomorrow that would be the time to try the puts. But it may already be too late as I see the futures are selling off after the close. Gold was up another five bucks today. The US dollar continues to drop and interest rates remain steady. The XAU and GDX had fractional moves one way or the other on light volume. GDX has stalled at its 50 day moving average. Mentally I'm feeling OK. The VIX was slightly higher despite the gains today which doesn't fit. It's hanging around its 50 day moving average and still above the important 20 level. As long as it remains above 20 we can expect volatility to continue. Hopefully I'll get a chance for the SPY February puts ahead of the employment report on Friday. Asia was up and Europe mixed in last nights trade. We'll keep an eye on the overnight developments.