This was Mali at 2 AM this morning. It's not much of a conflict when part of you wants to sleep and another part of you wants to cuddle a blind, purring cat. The purr is worth a tired day! It's all about staying focused on what's essential in life.

In markets, it's easy to become focused on non-essentials. We tell ourselves stories about the state of the world or the state of market charts. Far more essential is what buyers and sellers are actually doing in markets. Are there many buyers participating in today's market? Many sellers? What is the relative balance of buyers and sellers, and is that changing? It's all about the auction process.