<<<It's interesting that they are now calling the Iraqi occupation a 'financial strain'. Does the author of that article realize that a significant proportion of the GDP growth over the past 9 months has been from increased defense spending?>>>
Yep. When my friend Nathan, (a squad leader in the 101st Airborne), gets paid, his check is dirct deposited into his bank, back here in the US. I'd imagine that a significant proportion of our troops do likewise.
Not only that, but consider the "rebuilding" -- which should probably be called the "building," since "rebuilding" implies that we are fixing something, i.e., the Iraqi economy, which we broke, which is not the case -- of Iraq's infrastructure. Where do people think that money is going to go, ultimately? Again, most of it will wind up right back here in the US.
Pure Keynsian economics, if you just look at it the right way. {g}
<<<Yes, because I've never heard of anyone performing a terrorist act in order to avenge someone else's capture. >>>
Even if attacks by Bathists slow a bit, which I think is quite plausible, Saddam's capture means nothing to the hordes of anti-western terrorists who are flocking to Iraq hungry for their chance at martyrdom.
re: Market Momentum
I don't see any at the moment, either in the commonly used indicator or in my own proprietary internals-based stuff. Of course, that doesn't mean da boyz can't manufacture some anytime they really feel like it, but my bottom line is that this market seems tired -- in need of a nice corrective rest.
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it until it changes. {g}
(:
augie
Market Data 
Markets 
AI
