I've never really played the stock market but I've watched it since I was in college.
In the last decade, maybe a little longer I've noticed that it is no longer a good indicator of the economy. There is too much manipulation going on.
Originally Posted by boardman
It's gotten more like the futures market. Hedging and "pushing" is what I call it.
If a brokerage firm has a "large" client wanting to buy, they "bundle" smaller ones to sell, which drives down the price on the stocks the big guy wants, and they the firm buys for the "large" client. Same in reverse.
EF Hutton, Rascher Pierce, and Merrill Lynch got hammered for that in the 80's.
I have a modest account for "testing" and "monitoring" only on line. Gains and losses from that account won't make or break "the bank." And I can put the money into whatever I want to watch as a trend .. and not what the pundits tout on the talk shows.