<i>"Those massive short squeeze rips in 2001 and 2002 were incredible."</i> Oh, we're pretty close to the first one of 2008 now. Could be tomorrow, especially if they plunge sharply before 1pm est. The earlier and more violent the selloff, the bigger it will rebound. Gotta watch that 2pm ~ 2:30pm est slot. If they rally in the afternoon, pullback sometime then and break to new highs, it'll explode upwards and close on the highs at 4pm. Price action will fly straight off the domes, charts go parabolic, the CNBC gang becomes semi-orgasmic, Kudlow will be sporting visible wood, Cramer will flog a bear-skin rug on the set, etc. Same stuff, different year. It's coming soon, with VIX acting the way it did today and indexes where they are so fast in past two weeks. When it's all said & done, 2008 is going to be one we talk about for a long time to come.
That would be the ultimate FU to shorts and put holders if they did wait til around 3 to surpise cut right before OE close.
Investors are ready to pull the plug and hit the panic button. Any further softness tomorrow can be the trigger to send them over the edge. If we're lucky, we'll get a great short term buying opportunity coming off the bottom, as in August. The only complicating factor if we have a plunge tomorrow, is that it's Friday. Unfortunately, that may damp down the bounce as a strong close into a weekend in this environment isn't real likely.
You want the futures to collapse down in the morning. That will wash out the sellers and indicate the bottom is in. By keeping the futures afloat, it provides opportunities for shorts to shoot against the market.
Actually, I'd love to see a strong open to set up shorts, then a rollover to a panic bottom. Then a bounce to a stronger close. Now, that's trading, baby!