joe cusick of optionsxpress join us now. joe, there is a lot to talk about this morning, including the dow closing in on 14,000. what is your take? > > you know what, it's a level that everyone is watching right now. we are about 40 or 50 points away. it is a psychological level as well as a momentum level. the bulls are in control right now, and, hey, the dow has exxon in it, and that is the largest company in the world. > consumer confidence, though, took a hit. people are saying it is because of the lower amount of the paychecks because of the tax hit. what do you think? > > you know what, we are going to keep an eye on that. again, while confidence is at those lows, we have had pretty solid data other than the confidence never. we are going to watch the adp number that is coming out this morning, and we are also going to watch that fed statement. specifically we are going to keep an eye on that this afternoon, and we are going to watch the fed chief speak. > let's talk about a couple of big stocks: amazon had a major move

that is joe cusick of optionsexpress. > > thanks. there were a lot fewer layoffs at the end of the year than came at the end of 2011. outplacement firm challenger, gray and christmas reports that december saw the second fewest layoffs of any month last year. but whether hiring is about to turn the corner still depends on whom you ask and in what sector of the economy. not only were there fewer layoffs in december across the u.s. than in ten other months of 2012, the entire year had the fewest layoffs in the last 12 years. but that doesn't necessarily mean we've hit bottom. "it may be that employers decided that there was no pressure to cut jobs." a drop in layoffs doesn't necessarily mean hiring is about to begin, either. the fiscal cliff talks postponed spending cuts for two months and left the debt-ceiling situation unresolved. "the big spending cuts didn't occur. we just don't know where those are at yet." and then there's the cost of obamacare. in some places, small companies are said to be preparing to downsize to get under the