Economic effects of the Stupid Ray.

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Since we have examples of the government adjusting verbage to avoid Y2K panic or economic "bananas" let me put forth this question.

Could the current stock market growth be attributable to the wide spread use of media to quell public unease about the economy? Is the persistant bull market a manifestation of a) all those TVs and b)someone figuring out how best to use it? If we're going by the "only thing to fear is fear itself" theory then so long as everyone believes a companies stock is good they will buy it regardless of what profits are doing.

Or is there a connection somewhere? It seems to me the traditional indications for what a stock is worth are being ignored. Does reality ever intrude in this process?

And if you open up the never used panel under the screen of your TV, where the buttons are to change the channel and adjust the picture without the remote, and peel off the black electrical tape from above the far left button, you will reveal the words "spin cycle". Bet you thought only the washing machine had one of those, didn't you!

Watch six and keep your...

-- eyes_open (best@wishes.net), July 16, 1999

Answers

My jaw drops every time I hear an economic assessment on CNBC now. I'm like--how stupid are they? Actually, they might simply be stupid.

-- Mara Wayne (MaraWayne@aol.com), July 16, 1999.

I was one of the first people four years ago who said that the market could continue to go higher for a couple of years (based on its long term average of 10% annual growth over the last several decades and the retirement savings that the Baby Boomers still needed to put away).

Four years later, I'm living in the late 1920's. It's coming down and soon. Back in the 1920's the speculation was that electricity would generate huge markets in the future. It did, but only GE has since survived those times. Replace electricity with internet commerce and you have today's market.

My grandmother used to say that they had a GRAND time back in the 1920's when they had more money than they knew what to do with. She didn't talk much about the Depression before she passed away, but my other grandmother still does. When she GI'ed she asked me if she should order more wood for the winter. "Well, I wouldn't want to have to chop up the antique furniture!"

Smart woman.

It's not just the stupid ray. I think people just accept whatever rationalizes where they are today and would like to be tomorrow. It's a common human failing. Remember, we are none of us perfect.

-- nothere nothere (notherethere@hotmail.com), July 16, 1999.


You do realize every major TV network is owned by some kind of bank...

My TV doesn't say "SPIN", it says "AGITATE"....

scratchin'...

The Dog

-- Dog (Desert Dog@-sand.com), July 16, 1999.


Oh Dog!!!!

D'oh!!! That explains EVERYTHING.

-- R (riversoma@aol.com), July 16, 1999.


>>Could the current stock market growth be attributable to the wide spread use of media to quell public unease about the economy?<<

IMHO, the widespread prevalence of 401(K) plans and IRAs has had a far more potent effect on the stock market than all the talking heads on the boob tube.

The policies of the Federal Reserve Board cut more ice than cable tv commentators, shills and touts.

Boomer fears about Social Security, and the glowing example of thousands of Microsoft millionaires and Intel tycoons have driven more people into the market then all the ads for Charles Schwab laid end to end.

Every bubble has its roots in rational investment strategy. It is just that when the strategy proves its worth, it begins to attract a huge disproportion of investment creating structural imbablances in the economy that can't be sustained. Looking past the success of stock investment to see the imbalances requires a sophistication not possessed by the ordinary 401(K) investor or the garden variety financial advisor.

What the media broadcasts is actually a fair representation of the sentiment on Wall Street, stripped of nuance and gaudied-up for public consumption. My guess is that only about 10% of the touts on tv are actual frauds. The rest are just caught up in the illusion of their own brilliance.

-- Brian McLaughlin (brianm@ims.com), July 16, 1999.



crunch'crunch'crunch.--i got a hunch,the world is heading for a last-lunch. sorta the armageddon bunch.fasten your seat-belt,s.

-- here we GO. (dogs@zianet.com), July 16, 1999.

Also see this thread...

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=000wzc

"Community Conversations" for the public -- A stay-calm kit for investors

-- Linkmeister (link@librarian.edu), July 16, 1999.


Brian...you smart....post more.

-- P McG (5412@?.com), July 16, 1999.

shoot. I thought this was a Ray bashing thread.

darn!

-- dis (apoint@head.really), August 13, 1999.


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