November 30, 2011, Fundamentals schmundamentals
Another day, another central banking gimmick (in this case, a proposal to puportedly ease central bank borrowing in U.S. dollars) and another central bank-induced goosing of markets, in this case, nearly a 500 point rise in the DJIA. Supposedly, this will "ease" the European banking crisis. Or, more likely, simply kick the inexorable financial disaster... to some time next year. And of course, when Europe goes... don't think we'll be unaffected.
But hey... this is what governments, and central banks, and Wall Street banks, all of whom work for the same team... the Wall Street banks... do. While the reality for we of "the 99%" (and the term remains in vogue, even as our internal military police crack down on the Occupy movement for having the audacity to call out the unholy alliance between financial power and brutal state power) involves scraping by, with no participation in "the markets" (save perhaps for money trapped in 401k plans, IRAs, etc.)... politicians, and central bankers, still believe that "the market" (specifically the Dow Jones Industrial Average) is a surrogate for "the economy"... and hence, the need to continue to juice it in order to justify their own existences, even as the "real economy" continues to go nowhere while it generates declining employment, increasing environmental damage, ever-higher debt all around, ever unhealthier people, and of course, record government deficits (notwithstanding continued record high corporate profits which cannot be taxed, lest, you know, we torment our beloved rich people in any way... they might, you know, make the magic stop or something...).
My advice to anyone considering "investing" in publicly traded assets right now is... "run for the hills". Or maybe, find some nice farmland (with access to water)... and buy that. The economy is being managed by morons, cretins, incompetents and crooks... and I'm not sure that the crooks are even the worst of that lot anymore.
But what we are seeing is not reflective of economic health... or any other kind of health. This has been... "fundamentals schmundamentals."