Stock market free-fall

[mgcgulfcoast]

I have a feeling this will be hurtful to our chances in November.

[Historic NY]

1. Sure seems like its planned....doesn't it.

I've taken a huge whack.

[a kennedy]

17. I'm going to have to get a job......my retirement fund is just sick.....

sick and wrong.

[Lns.Lns]

21. Hang in there...

I bet there will be a big upside surprise after the election... if the greed allows them to hold out that long.

[tridim]

2. Why do you think a one-day stock market drop will only hurt Democrats?

Is this another major Obama disaster?

[Dawgs]

3. Uh, so far it's been a two-week drop. n/t

[tridim]

4. Why do you think a two-week drop will only hurt Democrats?

Is this another major Obama-tastrophe?

[Dawgs]

6. Not sure, but it helps to be factual when asking a snarky question.

Otherwise you just look like a fool.

[tridim]

9. It's a real question.

I want to know why a stock market drop (that happens frequently and regularly BTW) always results in predictions of Democratic doom.

We are blamed for drops and ignored for gains.

[AverageJoe90]

16. Exactly. nt

[mgcgulfcoast]

7. it shouldnt be, thats why this is so strange

everything i am reading is that the economy is looking better and better. Obama isnt causing this. He has done a great job.

[Man from Pickens]

8. stocks have been disconnected from the real economy for years

what has been driving stocks has been hot Fed money gushing through the system in incredible amounts

if even that is no longer working to prop that market up, the problems have become too serious to paper over any more.

[Lns.Lns]

18. Really? Maybe just a concocted October surprise

The Fed has been dropping it's purchases since the beginning of the year. The taper concludes this month. This has not roiled the markets until now, right before an election. Whether it is morally right or not depends on whether you would have preferred that hundreds of millions of people would have felt the effects of a Great Depression? Wasn't your 401K 40% drop enough? Wasn't your property value drop of 30%+ (depending on where you live) enough? Wasn't credit seizing enough to warrant reaction? Europe (or should I say Germany) did not fall for the insidious trap (according to you) of QE and look what happened to the periphery. Some countries had 25%+ unemployment, stagnate economies, etc. Was that the proper way to handle it? They still haven't recovered.

I am not saying it is right that people get rich off the woes of a country... but they do and always have. But what are the options here? Property values declines of 60% for 20 years like during the depression? What about people's retirement 401K's... should they have been completely wiped out for the sake of principle? Don't get me wrong, going to 401K's for retirement savings was in my opinion just a big give-away to money managers with regular people paying the price for it, but just like QE, that is what we have, not what we should have. How about we work to change these things for the future before the next big greedy crash? It requires that people engage.

BTW, because I think this is artificial, I am looking at this as a buying opportunity in the very near future.

[mgcgulfcoast]

5. more than 1 day

we have gone from about 17,300 to about 15,980 now.

[Lns.Lns]

22. No...

I would say it's another Republican disaster... conceived and executed in the shallow little minds of the right.

[DFW]

10. So, the Dow is now what, only 94% over when Bush left instead of 106% ?

Oh, dear, the sky is falling.

Some 16 years ago, a wise friend told me to put my life savings into a stock that cost $33,000 a share. I said he was nuts, and what stock cost $33000 a share anyway? He said it was called Berkshire Hathaway, and I'd never regret it. He's also probably the smartest guy I know, so I emptied my savings and bought a couple of shares, threatening him with dire consequences if he was wrong.

Those shares just "plunged" from $212,000 to $200,000--EACH. Boo fucking hoo. I'm sure there are plenty of Republicans out there that are sitting very pretty even with today's slip, and are nothing but thrilled that they got to reap the fruit of a Democratic President--again. Not that any of them will ever admit it in public.......

[upaloopa]

11. I like that we are l into the DOW when it has

little or nothing to do with our normal every day lives. Yes my wife has a 401k and I have a defined benefit plan. The ups and downs of the DOW will not impact our lives as much as some right wing politician bought and paid for by a stock market high roller trying to take our retirement income away.

[DinahMoeHum]

12. This is my first venture into commodity futures options. . .

. . .specifically the mini-S&P 500 futures options. Bought 2 December puts back in July, options expire in mid-December.

As it stands right now, I'm staring at a profit of at least twice my investment.

[upaloopa]

13. Well a lot of people I do my job for are homeless and

I am more concerned about what is going on with them then I am about any investors.

[Lns.Lns]

23. Well you know...

They have just about squeezed everything out of our kids future in the form of education loans. Kids can't afford anything now that helps a thriving economy. They have been eyeing retirement money for a very long time... how many times have they tried to privatize SS? They got part way there on retirement income with 401K's... Medical, they got part way there with Medicare Part C. If we don't get them out of office they will use up this country and throw it away. It is just never enough... if there is a pile of money somewhere, they want it no matter who it hurts.

[Lns.Lns]

19. Love your comment.

[blkmusclmachine]

14. Dontchaknow, EVERYTHING hurts DEMS chances in Elections. We can NEVER catch a break.

[FSogol]

15. You called it! Dooooooommmmmm. Glooooooooooommmmm!

[Lns.Lns]

20. IMHO, it is not coincidental... a certain party is notorious for this

Turkey deals anyone?