A big rally yesterday snapped a three day losing streak to start the year.  Today ADP said the private sector added 238,000 new jobs to the economy in December.  That is a big number. The manufacturing and construction sectors were the big leaders in job gains.  (Fox Business News)

Oregon thermal and nightvison manufacturer FLIR announced new products yesterday that will bring thermal imaging to your smart phone.  The new device attachments for your iPhone 5 and 5S will cost $349 from retail outlets including Amazon.  Shares of FLIR closed up 10% yesterday on the news.  (Market Wired)

The US trade gap fell to a four-year low as oil imports fell to their lowest levels in three years.  The trade gap fell by almost 13% in November.  US exports rose 0.9% during the month to a record $195 billion. (Bloomberg)

US housing prices were basically flat in November.  Even with the flat number sales prices are still up 11.8% on the year.  The sales of existing homes reached 5.1 million in 2013 up 10% from the year before and the highest since 2006. (CoreLogic)

First Obama Care, then the fiscal cliff, what could be worse?  A Velveeta shortage!  Kraft foods says some customers may not be able to find the cheesy confection over the next few weeks.  High demand for nachos while watching football bowl and playoff games was cited as a reason for increased seasonal demand.  (Associated Press)