bernanke. the federal chairman has been pumping money into the system for years and he's not stopping any time soon. >> in the short term i would believe that we ought to maintain a reasonable degree of fiscal support, stimulus for the economy. >> but is it all bernanke? >> it's not just bernanke. >> catherine keating oversees investments for jpmorgan. >> balance sheets are strong. they are more liquid than in decades. profits have surpassed pre-crisis highs. >> since the market's 2009 low, corporate profits have risen faster than at any time since the tech boom of the 1990s. and dow profits are forecast to rise 9.2% this year and 9% in 2014. helping too is that the dow isn't the same measure it was back in '07. gone from the index are bailed out aig, citi and gm.

in are cisco systems, travellers and united health. a different dow for a different time. be sure not every stock is up. hewlett-packard alone in the dow components lost money off 22%. let's say you had perfect timing and you put $1,000 into the following dow companies when the bull started run back in march of '09. in caterpillar which is up 286% you would be looking at $28,060 today. home depot, 2910. and american express up 513% you would have a stash worth more than $500. might we all be so lucky. with the dow up 9% this year even after it gained all of last year when the dow surges so smartly investors naturally want to know where the heck are we. near the beginning, middle or

end of a bull market? bob pisani now with a history lesson on how the markets reacted following previous record high closings. >> reporter: so we finally made it, historic highs on the dow industrials. but now what? stock bulls are saying that this could be the start of a sustainable bull market that could last for several years. their main arguments first the fed is back stopping the economy through low rates. second, the economy is slowly improving. third earnings are at record highs. fourth, there's record cash on the sidelines both from individuals and from corporate america and finally with rates so low there's just no other place to put money right now. but there are plenty of headwinds that could prevent another bull market from developing. bears point to sub 2% gdp growth. anemic revenue growth for corporations and the threat that the fed may remove its stimulus program well before there is

robust economic growth. the biggest threat to the market's advance is its biggest hope and that's washington, a bigger deal on tax reform and entitlement as well as an extension on the debt ceiling would go a long way towards boosting business confidence, spending and hiring would likely increase and conversely the failure to do anything in washington will also weigh on the markets. for "nightly business report" i'm bob pisani at the new york stock exchange. >> here to give his take on what's next for stocks is ceo of global investors. welcome. you know the last time the dow was as high as it is today, the multiple, the price earnings ratio on stocks was much higher than it is today. does that give you any comfort that equities can move up from even these lofty levels? >> i feel the market, equities will move higher between now and

the year end. i think it's not just the multiples because, you know, multiples give you some comfort. valuation doesn't drive markets. when you get modest valuation and improving sentiment and improving fundamentals that i think the market can do pretty well. and i would point to a number of real positives for the u.s. right now. we have the cheapest and plentiful energy. we have a record of innovation in business. lastly but not least the house market at last is recovering. and will be a positive contributor to business growth and economic growth in 2013. if you add this all up with the money on the sidelines, i think that all though it could be bumpy, the market will most likely end the year higher than it stands right now. >> you know, you can't really separate, i suppose, the monetary stimulus that's been injected into the system from the idea that corporate profits

are moving higher. do you worry at all about two things getting taken out of the srjs one would be some of the federal spending cuts that may come on stream here over the next few months and number two the idea that maybe at some point the federal reserve pulls back on the aggressive bond-buying program that's helped raise asset prices? >> no, there's no question those two are among the negatives. if there's a negative for the market and if there's a buying opportunity between now and year end it will come either from washington or from europe with the european debt crisis, the italian election was a negative for the market, very briefly last week. but if i look at washington and the specific points you mentioned the federal reserve is gearing up for a situation where they will reduce the bond-buying at the point where the unemployment rate is more normal. 6.5% they talked about as being the main review point.

i think there's a good chance they get there. and i think at that point the fed will be declaring victory. i don't think the fed will suddenly put the economy and market in reverse. >> i was speaking earlier to a market analyst who pointed out among the ten s&p 500 only four are higher than they were back in 2007. he suggested there's plenty of value in some of the sectors that aren't higher. do you agree with that idea >> if you're selective about it do i. i point, for example to technology which is certainly not back to the highs. you could look at the winners there including google and ibm against some of the losers, notably hewlett-packard. selectively in technology you're going to do quite well. i think, though, that banks are not back to the previous peaks. i think you got to be weary because the profitability of banks will be adversely impacted

by dodd frank and the increased financial regulation. so valuations, yes they are modest and, you know, they are not back to the heady peaks of the previous peak, but i think you got to be selective and professional management is something every investor should be going after. >> all right. be choosey is the basic bottom line. we appreciate it. a little bit later we'll take a look at the confidence of the individual investor and just how much they are fueling this rise. venezuelan president hugo chavez lost a two year battle to cancer today. michelle caruso-cabrera joins us with a look at what his death means. michelle, you have actually sat down with mr. chavez, his passing long expected given his poor health. >> yeah. absolutely. he was 58 years old when he died today and we have been watching

for weeks to see when exactly this would happen and the reason we're so interested is because we want to see what happens with the country's oil production. they produce 2.8 million barrels of oil per day in venezuela. it used to be higher. but he hasn't invested very much in the country's oil company which used to be one of the best in the world. and as consumers of oil in the united states we would like to see them invest more in order to increase production. >> the infrastructure internally in venezuela has not been supported by investment, to keep it where it needed to be >> he pushed out a lot of the foreign oil companies or taxed them so heavily that they decided to leave. >> what happens next? >> he has named an heir apparent. he may try to take over. opposition will say they want snap elections. they will say the constitution says there should be an election within 30 days. we don't know what will happen. it could be really messy. >> thank you very much for that report.

coming up the market may be at new highs. the individual investor is not going along for the ride at least not so much. we'll tell you why. but first a big day here but let's take a look at how the markets overseas fared today. with the dow hitting record highs today here's some viewer reaction. on the record setting day so many big movers on the big board let's take a quick look at some of the stocks that hit multiyear or all time highs. there are some of them. walt disney, johnson & johnson, 3 millimeter and travellers. sometimes a cent can go a long way. retail gas prices fell

overnight. it's down three cents from a year ago and energy analysts say the slide in prices could continue over the next month. talk about drug prices. overall spending on drugs to treat common diseases like high cholesterol and diabetes declined in 2012 for the first time in 20 years. the reason? cheaper generic drug which help bring down costs to insurers according to the prescription processor. let's take a look at how the largest generic drug makers performed in the stock market today. teva is higher. >> martha stewart took the stand today in the case of j.c. penney over macy's. stewart said she did nothing wrong when she agreed to open shops inside j.c. penney stores despite having a long standing contract with macy's. stewart said she did it because

macy's failed to maximize sales of her items. let's take a look at how shares of both of those big retailers did today. one year ago j.c. penney sold for $42 a pop. now a little under 15. two weeks after yahoo!'s ceo and new mom told any employee who works at home to come back to the office. best buy has put an end to flexible hours as well. employees at its hours outside of minneapolis no longer allowed to set their own work schedules or decide how often they show up at the company's richfield, minnesota headquarters. this is the rising tide lifts all boats of market focus. first up let's tell you about google which set another all time high for the second day in a row today. $838.60 a share.

$17.10 higher. widely held stocks in different parts of the economy, apple,pl caterpillar, ge, kraft foods, exxonmobil all advanced. >> qualcomm is raising their dividend by 40% and beginning a new stock repurchase plan. investors responded to that dividend news. the stock up 2% on the day. qualcomm benefiting, of course from strong demand from consumers for those cell phones whose chips they power. sears holding chief bought 1.2 million shares in his company according to a filing. he paid $44.36 a share. sears reported higher than expected earnings last week helped by cost cuts and the stock was up sharply today better than by 5%. legg mason fighting back from a holiday quarter loss. it will trim the number of funds

it offers and reduce office space. investors responded favorably. the stock up almost 3%. citigroup ceo told investors at a conference in boston that the bank has identified at least 21 markets where it's got to make improvements or just get out. he also set profit targets 3015 of 10% on tangible common equity with 7.9% earned last year. investors reacted very positively to the goals. shares gaining about 1.5% to 43.60 a piece. today's record close for the dow made a lot of institutional investors happy but what about individual stock buyers? are investors like you still putting money into equities? sue herrera takes a look. >> obviously people are out there that believe things are in good shape. >> reporter: a new high for the dow. >> it's sign much confidence. i'm not sure whether it's a sign

that everything is going up. >> reporter: stock mutual fund and etf hit a two month record more than $55 billion. but that money is not coming from the every day investor. main street has not been going along for the ride. >> we haven't seen the retail investor play in this market despite this long move higher. >> reporter: market highs in the past have been a warning shot to investors that the party may be ready to end. what do you do now? that's the question that's been hovering over this market since it began climbing in 2009. shrinking incomes are suspect. by 2011 real income adjusted for inflation was down 8% since the 2007 stock market highs. another factor. home prices still 25% less than they were in 2007. but the good news is values have been climbing for four years. >> we're seeing a return in house. we're seeing housing prices go up. mortgage issues going down. those are all very encourage.

>> reporter: investment advisors recommend their clients wait before putting more money network. so while the market climbs ultimately it's still confidence and cash that will determine what the individual investor does. for "nightly business report," sue herrera, new york. housing is considered one of the pillars of the economy course and lately that pillar seems to be getting stronger. tonight's edition in focus we look at house. but first we look at treasury and currency of the day. >> shares of home builders have been on a tear lately. today we learn home prices jumped nearly 10% in january from year ago levels. that's the biggest annual leap in nearly seven years.

home builder sentiment is sitting year multiyear highs, encouraging signs. tonight in our series on the american recovery, diana olec on how far housing has come and the road blocks. >> reporter: rogers wanted to move to a bigger house. with las vegas homes costing half of what they did during the housing boom they figured it was the perfect time except there was nothing to buy. >> we looked at some of the existing homes but they were in bad shape. >> reporter: so they turned to new construction which is sprouting up. national and local builders coming back to what was until recently a ghost town. as for their old home rather than sell it at a loss they rented it out. >> with the rental income i want reduces it by 40%. >> reporter: they are a big part of why supplies of homes across the nation are so low. few want to sell at the bottom

while millions of others are under water. >> the overall economy has gotten better. buyers understand now these low interest rates are a real dramatic opportunity for them. and most of all, the resale inventories dried up. >> reporter: not just in las vegas. nationally the number of homes for sale today is down 25% from a year ago, according to the national association of realtors. even as the spring market begins potential move up buyers are not putting their homes on the market. >> what's holding people back from buying a property is the fear of selling their property and not being able to find out. that's what the problem is. >> reporter: lack of homes for sale coupled with huge demand from all cash investors for distressed properties are a boom to the builders. they are still producing about half the homes they would normally but are seeing big jumps in new orders. housing is finally helping not hurting the economy. >> the only thing that concerns me is we have been here before, and the market itself is not

what's driving the price increase. >> reporter: appraiser saw the very worst of the vegas housing boom when speculators and builders pushed prices beyond ration enamel levels until it came crumbling down, something he says is missing from this recovery. >> it's not that we have new employers coming in and creating tens of thousands of new jobs that are leading to people buying new house. it's las vegas is on sale and investors are buying up everything they can in the used market. >> reporter: those he argues are not healthy fundamentals. houses and prices are going up again but the recovery is still not on solid ground. for "nightly business report" i'm diana olec in las vegas. >> here to weigh in on the jump on home prices and what it means for the housing market, mark zandi. welcome. good to have you with us. your surprised that house prices are jumping as high as they are? >> yeah, i am.

i wouldn't have thought this a year ago. things were turning around a year ago. i expected price times prove but not near double digits, not the kind of price gains we're gets. part of it is related to the decline of short sales, disstress sales. there's fewer of those. that's part of it. i've been surprised by the strength of the markets coming back faster. >> internals of the market particularitily explain that. it's also isn't relatively tight inventory. you point out we actually probably should problem ducing or adding new homes on the order of more than nearly 2 million and we're only adding a million and i guess some people are holding back putting their house on the market. >> to be precise, i won't dwell on the statistics. we're producing about 900,000 homes, single family, multifamily, manufactured housing on a per annum basis. in a normal economy not a very good one just a normal one we should problem ducing 1.8

million homes. housing construction is going to double over the next couple three years and because builders are having a hard time ramping it up it's hard to get it back up and running. we have this tight inventory and allowing builders and sellers to push up prices. >> there's tight inventory. there's also a very low cost of money and i guess creditors are loosening their standards a little over where they were in '08 and '09. >> a little bit. mortgage rates are at record loss. you can get a 30 year fixed at 3.5% to 4%. credit, mortgage credit is not easy to get but much easier. and things continue a year from now they will be even easier. obviously that goes well for future housing demand. >> give us a quick forecast. we won't hold you to it. what do you think for the rest the year? how much are they going to gain? >> the house prices?

>> mid-single digits. another goodyear. more construction. here's the positive thing. this means a lot more jobs and that's really what we need for a better economy. >> mark zandi, thank you very much. tomorrow on "nightly business report" the american recovery will focus on energy despite the surge in u.s. oil and gas development. we will examine the forces that are pushing oil prices higher and we'll be joined by bp ceo's. finally tonight the stock market may be the greatest story ever sold, but the greatest story ever told the bible remains number one. on sunday night the history channel scripted mini series the bible from reality show producer mark burnett drew 1.3 million viewers. that made at any time top entertainment show on cable television this year. for the week it was the fourth highest rated show.

now there's go to be a joke about false idols in there. the bible did well. last year's hatfield and mccoys did better for the history channel. before we go we want to point out nbr.com has a new field. when you type it in you'll see our facebook page where you can view full programs and post your comments. don't worry it's still nbr and you don't need a logon to do it. that's "nightly business report" for tuesday, march 5th. it's the time of year when public television seeks your support. we hope you do nature.

>> please welcome mr. john denver. [applause] >> good evening, ladies and gentlemen. home by a mile. ♪ ♪ it's a long way from la to denver ♪ ♪ a long time to hang in the sky ♪ ♪ it's a long way home to starwood in aspen ♪ ♪ a sweet rocky mountain paradise ♪ ♪ oh, my sweet rocky mountain paradise ♪

♪ springtime is rollin' around slowly ♪ ♪ grey skies are bringin' me down ♪ ♪ i can't remember when i've ever been so lonely ♪ ♪ i forgot what it's like to be home ♪ ♪ can't remember what it's like to be home ♪ ♪ but i think on my lady's sweet memories ♪ ♪ i think on my children's sweet smiles ♪ ♪ i think on my home in starwood in aspen ♪ ♪ all my friends and the snow covered hills ♪ ♪ oh, my nd