Behind the Numbers, with Mark Balasa

The Alpha Group has the lowest cash allocation of any of our panelists, simply because, according to Mark Balasa, while cash is safe, there are just better places to put the money, including into some alternative investments. He says the group doesn't see any long-term damage to the economy from Katrina, but the current energy situation, which he describes as "a drag on the economy and the markets in general, not only ours, but globally" is another story. Nevertheless, going into the final quarter of 2005 he says the Alpha Group is "modestly optimistic" and would be happy "to end up in single digits."–Robert F. Keane