The FOMC of the Federal Reserve lowered interest rates by 50 basis points - 0.5% - but it wasn't enough for the pampered, worthless lot of business morons on Wall Street.
Instead of greeting the rate cut (unnecessary and mostly inconsequential) with open arms, stocks took another loss. It was just another example of how overfed Wall Street has become. They can't even make good money with the federal funds rate at 1%, which, incidentally, was the rate at which the whole subprime mess began.
Thankfully, hopefully, there will be a change of administration in Washington which will begin to detach itself from the single-minded preoccupation with banks and the workings of Wall Street and begin to address the issues which will really matter to Americans: jobs, infrastructure, extricating ourselves from never-ending wars and solving global warming by instituting policy initiatives which promote conservation, alternative energy, reuse and recycling.
There are days which try one's will and one's nerves and this was surely one of them. With just three more working days before the election, the ongoing "crisis" mentality that pervades every aspect of the news, along with the long election coverage, is wearing extremely thin.
That investors can't see value in stocks at these levels and express themselves by torpedoing the markets is childish and churlish at the same time. One hopes and prays that the election will proceed without too many glitches and we, as a nation, can move on from the overwhelmingly loathsome conditions brought to bear by a madman president and a bunch of policy-makers who had their own way and still managed to make things worse for most of it.
Dow 8,990.96 -74.16; NASDAQ 1,657.21 +7.74 (0.47%) S&P 500 930.09 -10.42; NYSE Composite 5,774.8901 +41.43
Well, maybe it wasn't all that bad. At least the NASDAQ and the Comp. were higher.
Market internals also improved. Advancing issued outnumbered decliners, 3893-2381. New lows beat new highs, 319-8. Volume again was moderate.
NYSE Volume 1,619,567,000
NASDAQ Volume 2,771,578,000
One noticeable effect of the Fed's rate cut was in the price of crude oil, which gained $4.77, to $67.50. Gold was up $13.50, to $754.00, while silver added a massive $1.02, to $9.81.
Six days and counting until the election. These are times which try men's souls.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
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