are in a dry spell when it comes to putting thier money in the stock market. in today's cover story, a "sequester shield" - how our heros are being welcomed back from war with opportunities. creating good habitats: corporate america's new plan to get back to nature. plus, gas prices are dropping and show no signs of stalling out. first business starts now! you're watching first business: financial news, analysis, and today's investment ideas. good morning. it's monday, april 22. i'm angela miles. in today's first look: volatility in vogue. after last week's sudden jump in volatility, traders will keep one eye on the vix and the other on the market as

investers mostly pulled money out of stocks last week. ibm had its worst day in 8 years following disappointing earnings. the stock sold off 8% friday, losing $17. even with the big blue move, the blue chips closed up 11 points. the nasdaq gained 40 and gold eged up $8 friday, but was down 7% for the week. oil added 13 cents. also in focus, trading volumes, which were down significantly friday as people in the financial industry living in boston stayed home during the manhunt for the boston bomber. scott bauer of trading advantage gets the ball rolling for us on this monday morning. hello to you. - good morning angie. - what are you looking for this week? we have g20 behind us, but what's ahead here? - you know, at the end of last week on friday, we actually saw, let's call it, a break in the action. it was an options

expiration day, ibm was down 8%, ge was down 4%, yet, the broader market, the overall market, was actually up. so i called it a breather day in the midst of everything that we have seen. i would expect more volatility coming up. we saw the vix at the end of last week actually tick under 15. earlier in the week it had traded over 18. i think, with that little pullback, that would be a good place to get in the vix market. the g20 coming up, all these earnings, and later today and tomorrow you see new and existing home sales data. that kind of has been the core economically over the last few months here, maybe driving some of this marketplace. if there is anything negative there, i would say that is going to be very, very worrisome. - is it time to start shorting this market? - i wouldn't necessarily say short the market, but with the vix trending back to where it was, i would say step in and buy some protection. i don't know that i would be going out and getting new longs here - i wouldn't short it, i definitely wouldn't short it - but i would buy my protection. - what about earnings, what will you watch this week? - we have caterpillar, which, like ibm, like ge, that is going to be a global bellweather to take a look at. netflix, which everyone has taken notice

of over the last three, four months, is going to be real interesting as well. and then, just really a broad, broad spectrum throughout the entire week. - thank you, scott. you have a good week. - same to you angie. under sequestration, a lot of government contracts are getting cut - tough for entrepreneurs who count on government business, but, as our cover story shows you, not as much for veterans who want to launch their own business. veterans, who already face an unemployment rate higher than the national average, are turning to start-ups. at the university of illinois at chicago, several hundred vets like rodney bonner showed up. his dream - to make homes that not just consume but also produce energy - needs guidance. "i have prototypes on the drawing board. i need help getting it to reality." illinois is hardly the only state helping vets not just fill but also create jobs. in fact, it's part of a trend. "nationally, there's a trend to help vets create their own business." and though sequestration has cut a number of contracts, veteran-owned businesses are in a special category: set-asides - work set-aside for veteran owned businesses specifically. "it would squeeze them if there

weren't a lot of 'set-asides,' but there are more opportunities than there are vet-owned companies. so it's good for them, more than anyone else working with the government, right now. " there's one more reason for programs helping vets start their own businesses: vets hire other vets, which helps cut unemployment. "not only does it create business for the state, but it redues unemployment." this is not to say veterans have escaped sequestration cuts - far from it. the labor department's vets job-training program is affecting tens of thousands of veterans alone. and there have been more cuts to federal housing programs to

help homeless veterans and tuition assistance programs. sequester cuts may cause major flight delays in some of the nation's busiest airports this week. the start of air traffic control furloughs is expected to slow flight traffic at 13 hubs. major airports in california, new york, illinois, and florida, along with atlanta, philadelphia and charlotte, could all back up. the delays could hit around 6700 flights for up to 4 hours in major airports. friday, a trade group representing airlines filed a motion to stop the furloughs, arguing air traffic controllers are essential personnel. boeing's dreamliners are set to fly again. friday, the faa approved boeing's battery fix on its 787s. the jets could be in the air within weeks. meanwhile, boeing is slowing down production of its 747-8 jumbo jets because of weak demand for freighters. it is not expected to have a major effect on the jet maker's finances. dripping oil prices are seeping into the cost of gasoline. a

gallon of unleaded fell around a nickel over the past week. phill flynn of price futures group joins us now. good morning to you phil. - good morning! usually you have me on when gas prices are going up and you are complaining. i think i should get some credit now that they are coming down. - how low will they go? - i think we could fall another 25¢ a gallon right now, because, let's face it, the cost of crude has been tumbling. in fact, if you look at the cost of brent crude, which has really been following gasoline prices, we are under $100 a barrel, and even opec may not be able to stop it, though they are talking about calling an emergency meeting. so the outlook for the summer driving season looks clear and sunny, with lower prices. - will opec be the biggest influence on oil futures this week, phill? - that is the big question, does opec still have its macho right now? we have this new oil producer, i don't know if you've heard of them, they are called the united states of america. now, because of the new technology, we are going to be one of the biggest oil producers in the world. the big

question is, can opec play the same game that they have played for the last decade? when they want prices to go up, they take oil off the market. how can they do that when the u.s. has a glut of oil sitting in cushing, oklahoma, that they can flood the market with? it is a new day for oil, it is a new day for opec, and it is going to be very fascinating to see how this plays out. - thank you phill, and we will have you on in good times and in bad. - thank you. lawmakers are expected to vote this week on a proposal that could add taxes to all puchases made online. the marketplace fairness act would allow states to collect sales tax from online retailers. amazon and other etailers dodge paying sales tax in states where there is no storefront presence. opponets of the bill argue state sales tax laws are too complex for the legislation to work. brick and mortar stores contend the tax loophole gives online stores a price advantage. the ceo of yahoo is defending her decision to end the tech

company's work from home policy. the controversy sparked in february when a yahoo memo revealed marissa mayer was insisting yahoo employees would work better in the office than home. last week at a conference in los angeles, mayer told a crowd her comments were wrongly perceived as an "industry narrative." she also clarified: people are more productive when they are alone, but more innovative when they are together. the "silver state" is facing a rising unemployment rate. nevada now has the highest unemployment rate in the nation at 9.7%. nevada, california and mississippi had been tied at 9.6% in february. california and mississippi have now dropped to 9.4%. the country's lowest rate is in north dakota at 3.3%. the government is warning senior citizens to be cautious of investment scams. many seniors have their retirement savings parked in low-interest places such as treasury bonds, which are barely keeping up with the rate of inflation. the washington post reports con artists are using that to convince seniors their retirement money will run out because it's not growing fast

enough. the paper cites an example in georgia were a man bamboozled $16 million out of seniors by promising high returns from investing in foreign currencies. anheuser busch inbev is closer to putting its $20-billion acquisition of grupo modelo "in the can." ab inbev worked out a deal with the government. anheuser can merge with grupo modelo, but modelo will have to sell its u.s. corona beer business to constellation brands. the obama administration originally blocked the deal, saying anheuser would have had too much control over the american beer market. seaworld stock caught a wave in its first public day of trading. shares opened at $27 and closed just above $33. also friday, blackhawk networks stock opened at $23 and closed around $26. today, truett-hurst wineries is going public in the first winery ipo since 1999. and next week, ing plans to spin off its u.s. insurance unit for $1.5 billion in the second-biggest ipo in a year.

mcdonald's first quarter earnings were a mixed bag: profits were up, but same-store sales slowed in the first quarterly decline in a decade. mcdonald's blames the economy and increased competition for the slump. it hopes dollar menu items will bring customers back in the spring. kimberly clark's first quarter profits were up 13% on strong sales in brands kleenex and cottonelle. also, emerging markets are bringing demand for diapers and household goods. still to come, why so many americans are scared of the stock market. that's later on. but first, on this earth day, how some of america's largest corporations are getting into nature. bill moller has that after the break.

th a deadly disease. i was one of them. i'm a nurse and i knew how damaging the disease was to my life. nothing i tried seemed to work. my brother died. from complications of the exact same preventable disease and i knew i had to do something to get healthy. my disease was obesity and after consulting with my doctor, i received the effective treatment i needed. obesity is a second leading cause of preventable death in the united states. but it's a treatable disease, and there's effective treatment options available. now is time to get help. please join the obesity action coalition and acknowledge obesity as a disease for acceptance, for access to all effective treatments, including diet and exercise, pharmacotherapy and weight-loss surgery for obese adults with at least one obesity related comorbid condition. visit obesity action dot org and sign an open letter pledging your support and for more information about how to talk to your doctor about your weight and your treatment options. together we can make a choice to end obesity now.

a public service from the obesity action coalition.

green cars are beginning to make inroads on the road. kelley blue book reports the market for fuel-efficient vehicles is picking up. in a new ranking of the best green cars, kelley blue finds nissan's leaf at number one. the study looked at practicality, range and fuel efficiency savings. tesla's model s and lincoln mkz hybrid, volkswagen's jetta hybrid, and toyota's avalon hybrid rounded out the top five. jack nerad, editor at kelley blue book, says expect to see more automakers make a move toward fuel efficiency. "we're going to see more manufacturers jump into this, and every manufacturer, i think, wants to have a foot in the door of green vehicles and some technological expertise in electric and hybrid technology." nerad does note that the market is still "largely niche" and says more technological advances are necessary for green cars to hit the mainstream.

on this earth day 2013, we wanted to talk about the surprising number of companies that are turning large parts of their corporate property into wildlife habitats. margaret o'gorman is president of the wildlife habitat council. margaret, how common is this? - it is very common, and it is increasingly common. we have nearly 100 corporate members of wildlife habitat council that have been working with us for our 25 years of existence to create and restore wildlife habitat on their operating lands, their campus lands, and all of their other properties. - i know general motors is one of the largest participants. they have 25 sites. do all of those add up to a significant amount of impact in wildlife restoration? - they certainly do. you can't combine them all together in one impact, because each site is very, very different. we have the renaissance center, which is the headquarters of general motors, where they have managed to change their corporate landscaping to incorporate native plants, which are great for wildlife. but then

on their manufacturing facilities, we have large acres of wildflowers and other native plantings that are also good for wildlife. so across the entire spectrum, we are making a great impact on the wildlife and the biodiversity that's seen on general motors sites. and they can show that with photographs that they take and the species that they are seeing there. - how about quantifying? is there a way to measure the impact that this kind of habitat restoration is having? - it is very difficult to measure the impact on a side- by-side basis, because these projects are being done on a voluntary basis by employees, and we do ask them to monitor the projects and say what is using them. but what we can say is that we have 812 projects across north america and beyond where employees of corporations, many of them leading corporations in the u.s., are actually on the ground planting trees, removing invasive species, and doing very practical conservation activities. - margaret o'gorman, thanks so much. - thank you. still ahead, despite recent

record highs in the market, why retail investors are afraid to jump in. thats coming up.

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despite recent record highs in the dow and s&p 500, most americans are afraid to invest in the stock market. greg mcbride of bankrate.com joins us by skype this morning. greg, how many people out there are just too scared to get into the stock market game? - more than 3/4, angie. 76% say that they are not more inclined to invest in the stock market now, despite these recent highs as well as the record lows in

interest rates. the fact is investors still remain very risk-averse. - and a lot of people do think we don't want to be fooled again by what happened in the financial crisis. don't they have a point? - a lot of individual investors feel burned, not once, but twice, because there was of course the crash in 2008, but then also the tech bust back in 2000, so a lot of investors got burned a couple of times just within a rather short period of years. so, they are that much more risk-averse, they are less inclined to go into the market. and i think the danger is that, as the market has hit new highs, my concern is that we're going to see more investors start to chase performance and start to get in at what amounts to the wrong time rather than having gotten in a few years ago when it was the right time. - that is a concern, but you have to look at the numbers here greg. the stock market is still up roughly 10% by comparison. what are people getting by investing in cds or just savings accounts?

- you are lucky if you're getting 1% in a savings account, and cds, longer-term cds, you are lucky if you get 1.5% or 2%. the bottom line is, it is not enough to keep pace with inflation. those cash investments are fine for short- term goals, but i think it is important to redefine risk when we are talking about longer- term time horizons like retirement. the risk of underperforming inflation is a much bigger risk than the day- to-day volatility in the stock market. when you are talking about goals like retirement that are years, if not decades, in the making. - i am so glad that you mentioned that. the average investor does tend to get in at the wrong time. do you think this will be one of those cases where they just never come back? - that's a good question. i think ultimately investors are going to have to take on more risk, simply because americans don't save enough to reach their savings goals unless they get some turbocharged rates of return, and they are going to need the stock market to do that. now, at what point that realization comes about is anybody's guess. i'm frankly surprised that we really haven't seen the needle move at

all despite the fact that the market has hit record highs and these interest rates are now going into the fifth year at these record-low levels. - greg, thanks for being on the show this morning. - thanks angie. just ahead, find out if andrew keene is still fearless when it comes to apple, which is now trading below $400. our favorite apple trader joins

us now for chart talk. of course, it's andrew keene, president of keeneonthemarket.com. good morning to you. where is the floor on apple stock? - i'm calling it right now on worldwide tv, $360. i don't see apple breaching this. you have got to take into consideration that they still have that $137 billion in cash. they are going to pick up probably another $13 billion this year, up to $150. if they do anything with their cash at any point in time - buying netflix, stock purchase plan, or a huge dividend, the

stock cost $50 in a heartbeat. but, if you look at the daily chart, i talked about it in my trading room, $419, it looked like it wasn't going to go lower - it broke it in a heartbeat. then it broke $400. on friday, the futures were up 5.5 points, apple was down $5.50 on the opening. every $1.10 apple moves is $1 billion in market cap. - traditionally apple rallies ahead of earnings. earnings are coming up on tuesday. what do you think? will we get a rally here? - i don't think we will get a rally. i like to look at the at-the-money straddles that are implying a $30 move in apple. that takes it down to that $370 level, or up to $430. i think they need to say something about the cash. show me a stock purchase buyback, and then everybody is going to jump on board to the long side. - what do you think of the google chart? - google chart is interesting. it got up to $844, started rolling over. very similar to apple: it sold off $80 from high to low, $840 down to $760. it retraced half of that back, that's a 50% retracement on friday. it's slowly grinding up all day. it wasn't up a lot in

the after-hours session, up $10, and then $15. it is slowly grinding up to that $800 level. i like what google is doing. they are very innovative. they are doing what sam's is doing, they are doing what apple is not doing. we have google glasses coming out. their earnings are pretty good. their revenue, internet revenue, was higher. we also saw their pay- per-clicks weren't as bad. their mobility loss wasn't as bad. so they are doing everything right. i kind of want to see a couple days of trading to see how i want to play this. i am always looking to go long google. i do not have a position on it right now. - thank you very much. that is andrew keene, president of keeneonthemarket.com. see you next time andrew. - thanks angie. that's just about it for today. coming up tomorrow, an insider reveals the trick to getting hired when applying for jobs online. it's fascinating. from all of us at first business news, we wish you a great start to your week!