The U.S. Dollar is called weaker this morning. An equity market rally in China has helped boost demand for higher risk assets overnight. Both technical and fundamental factors are helping to contribute to the weakness in the Dollar.

A drop in U.S. Retail Sales in July helped boost demand for U.S. debt instruments on Thursday. This report showed that spending is still weak as consumers worry about their homes and their jobs. The numbers indicate that the cash for clunkers program may have had something to do with the drop in retail sales. Consumers may have used money earmarked for other items for a new automobile.

The July U.S. Non-Farm Payroll Report showed a loss of 247,000 jobs. This number was lower than the pre-report estimates. The revision in May and June also showed a downward revision.

Solar stocks have had an interesting history the last two years. Take First Solar Inc. (FSLR) for instance. From January 2007 to April 2008, the stock boomed more than 900% as demand for renewable energy prices surged along with rising oil prices. However, this growth did come to an end as with most rapid-growth stories and the stock fell from over $300 a share to just $140.