Generally to the downside today as the Dow lost 366 points on average volume. The advance/declines were 3 to 1 negative. The summation index continues lower. The NASDAQ posted a small gain but the overall market was down. The S&P 500 continues to drop and remains short term oversold. We can't even seem to have a much needed bounce. The inflation data today came in where expected. The technical condition of the market is weak and I'm not sure what's going to turn things around. Perhaps the Fed can change the mood next week. The weekly picture for the S&P 500 is oversold as well. The longer term up trend line there that started a year ago has been broken. What more can we say? Oversold, staying that way and we'll see where we go next week. I'm still considering the SPY November calls but I'm not sure where the entry point would be. Gold came to life halfway through the session and rose $20 on the futures. The US dollar and interest rates both finished flat. The XAU added 2 1/8, while GDX was up 2/3. Volume was heavy to the upside. It appears gold found buyers ahead of the weekend just in case the geo-politcal picture gets muddy. My GDX November calls are showing a small profit. GDX has bounced off of its 50 day moving average and the short term indicators are trying to turn back up. Mentally I'm feeling OK. The VIX was up today and is still above the 20 level. Not sure what's next here but if the indicators keep going higher the market will keep going lower. We've got the Fed next week with no changes in policy expected. Earnings continue to be reported. The Middle East tension hasn't gone away. Plenty to ponder over the weekend. We'll keep our eye on the charts as usual. Asia was higher and Europe lower to close out the week. It's Friday afternoon and time for a break.