Hey Tech: I have been deeply concerned and aware of the problems facing our nation. In 2003 when Bush decided to go to war I spoke to so many people that this will be unmitigated disaster, as we spend borrowed money on guns and butter at a time we import most household goods from Asia. This money spent on war and to keep populace uncritical, opening the gates of consumerism ( that will lead to rise in commodity prices )will make us poor and our true rivals stronger.
Exactly what has happened and recently heard on Bloomberg radio a fund manager with similar understanding made huge profits both in rise and fall of markets lately. In his words American people mortgaged their houses to chinese and bought toys and those toys are now junk while chinese and other hold our mortgages, how apt.
I and some others tried to discuss these matters here but we were chased away by Mr. Cash& co as funnymentals.
To trade successfuly you need more cunning ( contrarian thinking ) than KNOWLEDGE. Because more often than not, on very short term basis ( that's where most human minds operate ) makets will do opposite to what comes natural & rational. On a longer horizon rationality will prevail. One excellent example, look at GM chart, stock went up to forties a year ago and now all this talk of bankrupsy?
So when I say finacial conditions are being over exagerated please note I have a different and/longer time horizon.
One thing I am strongly convinced due to complex reasons is world economy as a whole is NOT like Japan of 20 years ago.