Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the oh so [in]frequently updated Julian’s Delusional World blog.  Over the past year, I have been witness to various events, some of which I have shared with you, some of which I haven’t, and some of which I will probably forget to mention. =)   Today, we shall recap my ’09 year.

JANUARY – MAY:

For my friends who know a little something about the Big 4 firms, in which I work for one of the four largest international accountancy and professional services firms, I was immersed into the lovely time of year called “busy season”.  A time of 60-70 hour work weeks, late nights, and a keen addiction to caffeine.

JUNE-AUGUST:

In June, I continued to study for my last CPA exam, Regulation.  I took my exam in July and found out I passed my exam in August!  Now I am in the midst of doing all the paperwork to get my CPA license.  Also during this time, I continued to work on a variety of audit clients ranging from technology to consumer products.  In addition, in June, I participated in my frm’s internationally recognized Impact Day–to make an impact on the communities where they work and live.  This year the people of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu firms around the world shut off their computers, email, and phones to provide skills-based volunteering and a helping hand to hundreds of not-for-profit organizations as part of IMPACT Day. Deloitte member firm professionals use this day to support not-for-profits in activities where they share their knowledge and expertise such as strategic business planning and helping teachers in schools, as well as painting buildings and beautifying parks and gardens. About 50,000 Deloitte people across 60 countries contributed their time and skills throughout the year to serve their communities.  This year, I helped paint a mural at a local elementary school and helped setup computers in the school’s newly donated computer lab. It was fun having paint brush sword fights with the kids. 

SEPTEMBER:

On September 9th, I celebrated my 23rd birthday.  My girlfriend took me out for a nice birthday dinner at a sushi restaurant. Yum!  Even my colleagues and boss celebrated my birthday by bringing in cookies, cake, and taking me out to lunch which was extremely nice.  Also, on September 15th, I celebrated my one year anniversary with my company, Deloitte & Touche LLP.  I am now a second year. Woot!  Looking back, I have learned more than I could ever imagine and have been given so many opportunities and unique experiences, as well as made some great friends.  There is definitely a huge gap in what I know today compared to the day I graduated college.

OCTOBER-NOVEMBER:

Starting in October, I was given the opportunity to work on a new life sciences client in which I put in some fairly long hours through December.  It was quite an experience in which I learned a great deal about the industry and really enjoyed working with everyone.  

DECEMBER:

In an effort to not repeat my last year shopping experience, I began my holiday shopping much earlier in the month rather than the week of, or a few days before Christmas day.  I finished all my shopping by December 22nd–a new record!  Now I have a few days off to relax and enjoy life.  It is definitely my favorite time of the year and the perfect opportunity to wind down and catch up with friends and family.  I also went ice skating for the first time in my life at the Irvine Spectrum.  It was pretty hilarious hearing the sound of kids falling hard on their tookus.

Anyways, that about wraps up my year.  December is nearly at an end and as we prepare for the Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanza, and New Years, I would like to wish a Happy Holidays from my family to yours.

Here’s looking forward to Twenty-Ten!

I’ll get straight to the point.  A summary of five major reasons I believe a sell off is in the works for the end of August and September:

1. Simple profit taking – What goes up must come down; can you imagine the market if profits were never taken?

2. Analyst revisions - Just as analysts upgrade stocks when they are undervalued, it is also their job to downgrade stocks when they are overvalued… I imagine you have formed some opinions of some overvalued stocks.

3. Earnings season is coming to an end – Right now there seems to be an overwhelming amount of good news flooding the market. But I believe it is only a matter of time before the bad news outweighs the good news (or better than expected) once again, and a correction will occur. What reason would the market rally with overwhelming bad news?

4. China downturn -  Others cite trouble in China, which had been looked to by many as the nation to lead the world out of recession. The hopes were that China’s consumers would begin to demand products from other countries, a trend that in turn would spur growth for multinational companies. But the Chinese markets have been pounded over the past couple of weeks, with stocks there dropping about 18 percent.

5. Inside Dope -  Closer to home, those looking for a correction also are watching selling by traders inside companies. Insiders have been selling at a rate 28 times more than they have purchased in the last month

I don’t think the market will sink by more than 20%, but a correction of 5 to 15% over the next couple months isn’t out of the question in my opinion.  Although I am not anticipating the market to continue rallying, I will also note that the rally easily could, as money continues to pour into the market from the sidelines.