Stocks hit one-year highs

[sabra]

Source: CNN Money

Major indexes rise to highest point in about a year on earnings optimism. Dow flirts with 10,000.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Stocks rallied Monday morning, with the Dow topping 9900 for the first time in over a year, as investors showed optimism about the first big wave of quarterly results due out this week.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) rose 37 points, or 0.4% in the early going. The S&P 500 (SPX) index gained 3 points, or 0.3% and the Nasdaq composite (COMP) climbed 11 points, or 0.5%.

Read more: http://money.cnn.com/2009/10/12/markets/markets_newyork2/index.htm?postversion=2009101210

[rfranklin]

1. If we can only reach that magic 10,000....

all will be well with the world!

[tridim]

8. Yea it's an artificial number, but still psychologically important for lots of people.

Looks like we'll hit it today or tomorrow.

[elleng]

2. From whence comes the optimism about the first big wave?

[Bluzmann57]

3. But...but...I thought the Dems were destroying the economy

As usual when the Dems are in charge, the stock market is on its way up. Always happens when we have a Democratic President it seems.

[Common Sense Party]

5. The stock market is not the economy; the economy is not the stock market.

It's wise not to put too much trust in the market as a barometer of anything.

[Lasher]

9. You are quite correct.

Friday, August 29, 2008

During the last 120 years,...the average annual stock market return has totaled only 8.25% under Republican rule, while it has returned 10.85% with Democrats in power. Over the past 60 years, this trend has been more pronounced. The Democrats have held the presidency only 41% of that time, but under their rule the average annual return has been 15.26%, more than six percentage points higher than the 9.01% return under Republicans.

Returns during the last two administrations support these conclusions. The return on the market under the Clinton administration (1992-2000) was 19% per year, the highest of any president since Calvin Coolidge led the country in the mid 1920s.

On the contrary, the real return so far under G.W. Bush has been a measly 0.22%, and an even worse minus 2.69% return once inflation is subtracted. This return is the second worst of the postwar period, exceeded only by the negative 7% real return under the Nixon administration. In fact the Nixon and Bush Republican administrations were the only two periods since The Great Depression when shareholders suffered after-inflation losses in the stock market.

http://finance.yahoo.com/expert/article/futureinvest/104492

We were to endure another year and four months of the GWB presidency after the above article was published. The average S&P 500 annualized capital gain for those 8 years was -2.42%. That's right, a negative number indicating a loss. Clinton's average was +15.86%. Carter, arguably the GOP's favorite whipping boy, had +7.07%.

[rhett o rick]

13. It is just another bubble created to steal the capital from the middle class.

you might as well gamble in Las Vegas as the stock market. You get better odds.

[PSPS]

4. Yet unemployment continues to rise and thousands show up for a few jobs or free medical care

Is there any more proof anyone needs that wall street is a rigged casino that has nothing to do with the well being of the country or the economy?

[OHdem10]

6. The Big Boys and their businesses are doing quite well in Asia, huh

This of course does not reflect business activity here in US??

[Abacus]

7. Contrary to the first sentence, the Dow topped 9900 on September 23rd at 9917.99 /nt

[Beavker]

10. I agree with all sorts of things said here!

I love that the market is going up under Obama, as big of a crock of shit as I've come to learn that it is. It's gambling, and it's manipulated by such a small group of people (rich investment firms and their clients).

I would like to see those jobs improve. They say it's a lagging indicator, but it's getting to be downright lethargic at this point. Hopefully we get some regulation in place that helps preserve this regained wealth, and people use it the right way. If so, this will make the jobs come back slower because American's and it's fraudulent Wall Street Captors will not spend recklessly like they did before.

We'll lock it in, get out of some debt, and slowly and methodically spend prudently which will start feeding some jobs. Good clean green jobs, where people make or invent something, not just create wealth on paper.

[fasttense]

11. It's just amazing that our government was able to prevent giant banks, Wall Street gamblers

and corporate Insurance firms from being swallowed up by the black hole of the 2nd Republicon Great Depression. Yet not one single measly job has been added to the American economy. People cheer when a quarter of a million jobs in a month disappear because it isn't a half a million.

The TV news is claiming the recession is over. They never acknowledged that it was a depression and the jobs keep fading away but hay, Wall Street is back at the gambling table.

[disndat]

12. The shops in NYC were jammed pack

this Columbus Day weekend, if that is any indication of an upturn, or at least an unscientific barometer of optimism. If there is a 10% jobless rate, at least the rest of the 90% employed are coming out to shop.

[rhett o rick]

14. HORRAY the bubble is back. And THIS time it is safe to invest. WOW. Dog save the bubble. nt

[LeftHander]

15. BUY BUY BUY and before the next bubble POPS!!!

-:pop:-

Oh dear...you lost everything?...sry.