Mike- thank you so much for your input here today.
It really is amazing how suspectible people are to partial ( and biased) information. Quite worrying really for all aspects of life. There are some good books on " The Madness of Crowds" and " The Abilene Paradox" - the herd instinct to make totally irrational decisions based on the urging of others.
This turbulence will get forgotten and become a non event once the next good news item appears.
Very best wishes for a Happy Healthy Holiday season to you and the family.