Stock investors are protecting gains and holding off on deploying cash as concerns abound about central banks, including the Federal Reserve, tapering off on their stimulus programs, i.e., money printing. Low-interest policies and quantitative easing have been the driving force for economic recovery while pushing return-hungry investors into equities by default.

After a bullish performance last week, the market began the day a little off but managed to fight its way into increases across the major indices with S&P 500 closing at 1556, just 9 points shy of its record closing high in 2007.

Our opinion is that current equity prices are reasonable, if not a tad on the cheap side, unless of course none of the above action items turn out positive for investors. The U.S. economy could probably survive without QE3; however, Draghi’s task is of particular concern. The amount of European sovereign debt held by banks could be disastrous if Greece, Spain, and Italy collapse. A decline in the euro would lead to downward EPS revisions in U.S. equities and place them on an overvalued shelf.