Leither says it's dicey to guess what Congress might be thinking when it writes the tax code. Still, it's pretty clear that the intent is to make sure benefits are being taxed in households where one spouse is employed and the other receives Social Security. The best route is to calculate taxes both ways to see which works out best, Leither said. The signals are conflicting. The typical bulls are starting to snort.
More cautious types point out that the economy remains too weak to allow stocks to prosper.
The desire for spring weather wins out this week. Dow up 147 points for the week. Two weeks ago, the Dow rose 335 points, compared with a forecast that it would climb 98.