Posted on 08/18/2011 1:10:01 PM PDT by blam
MARKETS DEMOLISHED: Here's What You Need To Know
Joe Weisenthal
Aug. 18, 2011, 4:00 PM
The panic is back after taking a 5-day rest.
But first, the scoreboard
Dow: -417.66
NASDAQ: -129.24
S&P 500: -53.02
And now, the top stories
The story of today is a continuation of a global panic that's been in place for weeks now. On Monday, stocks completed the third day of the biggest three-day rally since March 2009. Then in the middle of this week, stocks basically did nothing. And now, it's back to panicking.
Mostly it started in Europe once again, though even yesterday evening the weakness began. Some weak after-the-bell tech stock reports helped sent the futures drifting lower.
Asia was weak, and then European markets went kaboom.
A story about the Fed meeting with European banks over funding concerns that appeared last night caused a lot of worry. Other than that there wasn't even that much news, although the market's hunger for a solution to the perpetual crisis grows louder by the day.
Perhaps the most ominous new fire in Europe is this situation where various countries who will be bailing out Greece are demanding collateral for their loans. It started with Finland, but if everyone does this, it's going to kill the whole thing.
Obviously the broader European markets got demolished, with European banks taking the brunt of the pain.
Things were already very ugly in the early going in the US, and then the data really brought the pain. CPI came in hot and initial claims came in somewhat weaker than expected. If Bernanke's hands weren't already tied, with respect to more easing, now he's even more in a corner.
(snip)
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Has any President ever before attempted to so casually divorce himself from the practical consequences of his policies, or to blame them on malign influences beyond his control? And even if one of Obama’s predecessors in office attempted in a moment of weakness to shift the blame in such a manner, who else among them ever secretly wished the result he had brought about?
I’m thinking he may have a nervous breakdown before Thanksgiving.
ROFLOL!!!!
You’re in my prayers - thanks for sharing.
I keep thinking dems will sacrifice the country in order to have the economy humming by election day... they only care about their own reelection ...
This December will mark the 5 year anniversary of my moving to 100% cash position with no money in the stock market. Back in December of 2006, I had absolutely no clue I would still be on the sidelines 5 years later. I thought I would have been back in by now.
As an aside, I sleep soundly at night knowing I have a guaranteed return of capital.
That's the deal with sovereign debt, it's a personal loan to a drunk.
No collateral, nothing but a promise.
And no hope of ever seeing your money again.
Your “guaranteed return of capital” so far has been a guaranteed loss of purchasing power, which looks to continue if not accelerate over the long term. Normally the dollar gains a lot in market crashes. But not in the last two weeks, which is ominous.
What was his training/degree?
In this world you have to be able to actually DO something that people want done.
Things are a lot tougher than anything any of us have ever seen.
My loss has been less than any of my family or friends who stayed in the market. I know people who rode Bank of America down from $50. What is is now? $7?
I’ll take my modest loss of purchasing power, thank you. There aren’t any good options now, unless you bought a vault of gold back at $500/oz. The rest of us are just trying to keep from losing our asses. The stock market isn’t the place to accomplish that goal unless you are a day trader, careful, and shrewd/lucky. Your typical buy-and-hold average investor with mutual funds or stocks in the market has been slaughter and is poised to take another beating.
Yes I am losing purchasing power, but that is about the best I can do right now. My risk is very slight and that is my strategy. Return of capital.
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