Regardless if you believe in market manipulation by powers unknown, some call it the cartel or the plunge protection team whatever, 2008 has shown the world that those in power have no problem at all with open intervention if it is really needed as far as propping up the banks, automobiles, insurarce company's (did I forget a sector?) goes. Some might argue there hasnt been a free market in decades and some might argue it's cowardly to rave about market interventions when times are tough but keep silent when times are good but anyway... Say we had none of it as of today. Forget about foreign countries buying US debt under the treath of gunpoint, forget about OPEC trying to controll the price of oil, forget about the trillions of bailout money used to help the banks globaly forget about all of this and think of the world, it's economy and it's products as simply a case of question and demand. Where would the $ be? Where would the DOW be? Oil, gold, Euro, Yuan... What is really the GDP of the US, what is really the level of unemployment in the US everyone knows those numbers are fake and the same goes for the rest of the world. Have people given this thinking exercise any toughts yet? Some might argue the Chinese buying US debt in exchange for the US buying China toys is in fact a case of suply and demand and I respect that argument but let's try thinking outside of the box for a moment no? Some smart people on this board and I would like to hear what they have to think about this. Sorry for the spellingerrors I am not a English speaking person. Cheers.