Jobless claims were also better thanexpected

20, will push for a massive economicstimulus plan helped the market cut losses, however. Obama, speaking on the economy, said his plan includes a$1,000 tax cut for middle-class families and extended joblessaid and healthcare coverage for the unemployed. Investors snapped up some of Wednesday's worst losers,including aluminum producer Alcoa (AA.N), up 2.6 percent at$11.17 on the New York Stock Exchange, and Microsoft Corp(MSFT.O), up 2.4 percent at $19.97 on Nasdaq. Wal-Mart offered the starkest indication yet that consumerspending, which accounts for about two-thirds of U.S. "The very poor retail numbers were certainly expected andthe market is looking forward to the stimulus plan," saidRobert Francello, head of equity trading for Apex capital hedgefund in San Francisco. "Jobless claims were also better thanexpected." The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI fell 42.05 points,or 0.48 percent, at 8,727.65. The NasdaqComposite Index .IXIC gained 2.85 points, or 0.18 percent, to1,601.91.

(Additional reporting by Deepa Seetharaman; Editing by JamesDalgleish) Stocks Bonds. It’s time to break the silence! It’s time to get off the proverbial fence and take a stand. Now hold up, before you begin to spew your uninformed and blindly loyal vitriol, just pause and take a look at the facts. Maybe Orton was a better fit for the Broncos than Cutler (only in fantasyland, and I don’t mean fantasy football). Maybe this rookie coach did know what he was doing after all. Maybe all the off-season antics and melodrama in Denver would ultimately work out for the best. Why, some of us even reneged on our commitment to hold out on buying season tickets, and proudly began sporting our “Superbowl Bound” powder-blue hoodies. For the first six weeks of the 2009 NFL season, even the talking heads were fooled into thinking that the Broncos were a good team, and we shot up to number four in their weekly power rankings.

In the first six weeks we’d thrown a ridiculously good 1 interception to 9 passing touchdowns, and that was on a “hail Mary” pass. Having won the first six games of the season, even though it was largely due to their overwhelming defense, Kyle Orton began to suspect that he might be as good as Cutler on steroids… and then his alter-ego showed up. Since coming off the bye-week they’ve dropped four straight games in the most embarrassing of ways. To compare their first six weeks to their last four is to define the very meaning of the word schizophrenia. Sadly the football ‘gods’ don’t have a more promising future in store for us, as we play the New York football Giants, the Indianapolis Colts, the Philadelphia Eagles and a resurgent Kansas City Chiefs who just beat the Superbowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers (whom, incidentally, we lost to in Denver by a score of 28-10). So, I guess it’s beginning to look like we might be watching the playoffs on TV again this year as there doesn’t look to be any games that might involve the Denver Broncos.

But all is not lost, as you can take the money you would have spent on post-season tickets and purchase that new 52” LCD TV that Best Buy has on sale for Christmas. At least, if nothing else, you’re guaranteed to enjoy watching the Superbowl which, incidentally, won’t be showcasing our beloved Broncos Just my two cents! . The Cincinnati Bengals couldn’t hold a 14-0 lead and let the Raiders slowly inch back into this ugly contest. The Raiders scored 10 unanswered points over the final minute to take a 20-17 win How did this possibly happen 1 The playcalling on offense The Bengals abandoned the passing game in the second half. Bernard Scott did rush for 119 yards on 19 carries but didn’t convert enough third downs to run out the clock. Fullback Jermi Johnson had a key fourth quarter fumble with the Bengals inside the Raiders 15-yard line. The previously invincible offensive line couldn’t protect Palmer in the second half.