We feel that numbers are not as bad as people think as a few high profile names have reported below expectations. Numbers so far have come down from where they were but have still come in about 5% ahead of analysts' forecasts ... We believe that growth rates are still pretty robust at about six percent growth for the year.

[Two thoughts. First, savvy investors have long ignored the cost of goodwill amortization in valuing a company (many prefer cash now).] It's just cosmetics, ... If companies soar in value for the sole reason of this accounting change, I would take advantage of it and sell those stocks.

The confidence in U.S. equities is just not there.

The referral of Iran to the U.N. Security Council suggests that the crisis might have legs as the world tries to stop the Iranians from developing nuclear weapons. It does not matter what happens in Iran, it is the uncertainty about Iran that tends to be very bad for markets.

I have to live with the facts as they are, rather than as I wish they would be or think they might be in the future.

[Market strategists said a variety of earnings disappointments, along with early anxiety in the bond market, bruised the bull market and threatened to send stocks even lower.] It is certainly a risk if you have new money in the market now with these kind of price-earnings ratios, ... This might be a time to be a little cautious.