Reply #10: Ah yes. There's always hope.

[ozymandius]

I hope to win the lottery Tuesday. Anyone want to buy a stake in my hope?

Honestly. How people can correlate this data and declare some sweeping direction in the correlation is beyond me. But then brokerage firms still have ponies to sell.

On edit: Today's surge in enthusiasm appears to be spurred by Obama's economic stimulus plan. That makes sense when a massive amount of money is spent on public works projects that return capital into the hands of people who will spend it. It will also undo the damage from neglect during the Bush years.