WEAK JOBS REPORT A MIXED BLESSING ... Today's weak job report was a shocker. It's weakness, however, is a mixed blessing. It's a potential negative for the economy since it erodes consumer confidence. At the same time, its negative economic message pushed bond yields sharply lower. Lower interest rates are good for the economy. That's probably why the stock market recovered today led by rate-sensitive stocks. But there's more. Lower interest rates keep the dollar weak. A weak dollar is bullish for commodity markets. That was seen in today's jump in most commodities. In the past, higher commodity prices have produced higher interest rates which helped stall commodity rallies. This time does seem to be different, which suggests that global deflationary pressures may still be at work. The bottom line is that the stock market doesn't have to worry about rising rates anytime soon. That should be a good thing. It should also be a good thing for commodity investments.
