Dollar skidding, plane fare soaring --- it's not likely I'll be having dinner in Paris any time soon.

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After two days of large and opposite trending days, traders ran into a buzz saw. Today was extremely range bound, putting in a small 13.30 range in the S&P futures, however; 70% of the entire day’s volume traded within a scant 5-point range.

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Inflation and consumer spending will be the main themes of the week ahead, during which the markets will focus on the U.S. Retail Sales and on a sequence of Consumer Price Indexes scheduled for release from several major industrialized nations.

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Citi, that death star of a global financial institution, is raising money, and they are doing it hand over fist.

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You May Have Already Won $600... Not sure whether to splurge yet on that Rolex? How about the new invite-only Ferrari Scuderia? Well, have we got a treat for you: With roughly $117 billion of U.S. rebate checks being minted even as we type, America’s dollar-hungry consumer electorate will be receiving anywhere between 52 cents (you’ll recall that Save the Children said in 1987 this was enough to buy a cup of coffee) and several hundred smackers. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and do your part for Uncle Sam. Some people go to war, others buy a condo at The Plaza. We all play a role as God’s own special creatures. Right now, we’re buying Trader Monthly an island at The World in Dubai. Maybe we’ll throw in a yacht, too, if we have a little left over. We just hope we get the full $600.

It Figures Though it’s still too early for hedge-fund honchos to celebrate, the top winners so far this year seem to be some of the funds that suffered the most excruciating losses in the summer of 2007. An inspiring look at those who have so far managed to bounce back after being torn asunder.

Quoth Of Noth – Oil Guy “Oil supplies surge and the dollar rallies, but never mind about that. Oil sets a new high anyway!” – Phil Flynn, Alaron Energies. (And this quote actually came out before oil shot above $125 a barrel this morning, scoring another record for the fifth straight day.) With yet another sigh of resignation, we go back over the crush of reasons for why ample oil inventories in the U.S. somehow do nothing to cool this interminable running of the bulls. Reasons subject to change, of course, by tomorrow.

Ringgiting The Register As fuel and food prices spiral ever higher, Malaysian bonds are attracting a record amount of foreign investment from investors such as Franklin Templeton (manager of the $10 billion Templeton Global Bond Fund), Pacific Investment Management and State Street Global Advisors, sending the ringgit to its highest level in a decade. Meanwhile, a different kind of fund with the name Templeton in it is getting hot and heavy for this year’s worst-performing currency. Place your bets.

And Now, A Word From The Back Office... Signaling the rash of job cuts stalking the financial community is beginning to singe even the most devout workers – you know, the ones who got up early, kept their heads down, never fussed, put their backs uncomplainingly to the grind (not to mention refraining from brown-nosing, water-cooler gossip and all office-politicking, and are beginning now to think the better of it) – this open letter from one fallen Bartleby stands as an ominous warning of what happens to those who come to Wall Street with stars in their eyes.

Wherefore The Bubble? When it comes to energy and food prices, economists are increasingly answering with one voice: quite possibly, there is none. What to do when a global market used to blaming inflation on the browbeaten speculator loses rights to its favorite whipping boy?

Liquid Assets When weathering today’s financial storms, it pays to cover your positions. But there’s a sizable difference between merely staying dry and braving the elements in sartorial splendor. These raincoats are guaranteed to turn heads . . . even when those around you are losing theirs...

The newest and hottest in fine dining, nightlife, travel and men's style, from New York City to Los Angeles.

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Jim Cayne lost $900MM in BSC's collapse. But he was able to get $60 MM out as of his last sales. I can't fathom this from a trading standpoint. He must have felt omnipotent or something.

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Arguably the most recognizable charity, the American Cancer Society certainly knows how to segment their market.

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What a reversal, eh? The bears decided they had had enough of the bull’s Castor Oil Wednesday and really turned the tables around. Or was it just that the bulls can’t ignore the handwriting that’s on the wall? I say “who cares”…follow the trend.

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As a trader, I have learned a lot by making mistakes. Sometimes I've had to make the same mistake several times in order to get the point. I have learned a lot by watching other traders too and I've been extremely lucky to have very loving and generous world-class mentors. Every once in a while you find yourself revisiting old lessons that you learned as a rookie because they have new meaning for you today.

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Self-made billionaires in The Forbes 400 readily attribute their success to luck...

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