Equities historically gained +3.1% on average during recessions. http://investmentscientist.com/2008/01/25/recession-and-stock-market-performance/
Let me guess you live in France? You know I am getting really sick of the anti-American sentiment. There are VERY few countries in this world that we haven't had to save their asses when they needed it most. We provide more humanitarian aid to foreign countries that ANY other country in the world. We have more troops die defending people that do not belong to our country than any other country. When other countries are in trouble, who bails them out? The US. We help those that cannot help themselves more than anyone else, yet even those we have helped in their darkest hour still hate us. Why? Jealousy! Stop hating and just move here and see how great it really is instead of sitting where ever you are and bitching b/c your life sucks. If you don't like the US then stop trading our stocks, stop trading our currency, stop getting our troops killed b/c your countrymen are cowards and cannot stand up for themselves. If you can't do that then just STFU and stop crying b/c you don't live here. EDIT: Tony Blair said it best: "I sometimes think it is a good rule of thumb to ask of a country: are people trying to get into it or out of it? It's not a bad guide to what sort of country it is." I can promise you this, no matter what country you live in, there are more people in your country that want in ours than there are people in ours that want in yours.
Really??? So, I suppose this guy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Soros was simply playing with a sim acct or Monopoly money, when he shorted the British £. Besides, he didn't make much, did he? Just a lucky trade I guess...most likely played with "negativity".
Ok I finally got this far in this moronic thread. Are you seriously so stupid that you think Real Estate tanked b/c people stopped buying? EVERYTHING in the US is supply and demand. Housing was overbuilt so there were more houses for sale that there were people wanting to buy them. THEN to try and curb this banks started lending money to people with sub-prime credit to get these extra houses sold. Problem was that not only did a lot of these sub-prime borrowers default on their loans, the builders kept right on building more shit to sale knowing damn good and well no one was going to buy them since the demand was basically gone. This was NOT something the general population of the US just decided to do on a whim. Either way I said it before and I say it again: If you don't like the way the US markets are working...DON'T TRADE THEM. Either way STFU! ............../ôï/)...........(\ï`\ ............/....//.............\\....\ .........../....//...............\\....\ ...../ôï/..../ôï\............/ï`\....\ï`\ .././.../..../..../.|_......_|.\....\....\...\.\.. (.(....(....(..../.)..).....(..(.\....)....)....).) .\................\/.../.....\...\/................/ ..\................. /.........\................../ ....\..............(.............)............../ ......\.............\.........../...............
Since you used the word "STFU" I will respond according: Listen Dumbass, You dont know anything about real estate. When you say supply and demand that what happened idiot brains. The Demand dried up, people stopped buying for various reasons. Some were gaming the markets for discounts, some were scared in their tracks. If the buyer stops buying the whole industry collapses, the whole cycle stops. Real estate valuations dropped because there were no new comps! That's when the refinances and lenders got in trouble. They can't lend on collateral that was not enough and the homeowner had no other alternative but to default since he cannot sell in a market with no buyers. Get some brains before you open you beak and do not start off with insulting posts, in my case, it will come back at you like a whiplash. Now you STFU and do not come back!
How many beating you need on your blue ass Samadi? Its already black from last few rounds or is it not?
Stocks have a natural tendency to go up. Stock market was built into that premises otherwise you would not be here posting this bull.
Demand dried up because prices got too high! People saw these prices going up and up and up and decided, collectively, to stop buying at the same rate. They no longer saw value in paying the prices that were being offered. Just like a stock stops going up when people think that the price is too high for what they are buying. Plus, prices rose at a rate that was unseen in the industry creating a bubble type situation and when it pops, it tends to cause an adverse affect greater than if prices had risen at a more reasonable and steady rate. Its a market and these things happen in mkts.