Perspective on the fluctuating stock market (heard it on

[gateley]

the local radio top-of-the-hour news -- an "expert"). It's not that people are rushing to their stock brokers and having them sell/buy/sell/buy their 100 shares, it's the big trading corporations making bets by the thousands, minute by minute. Made sense to me, so thought I'd pass it along.

[Tunkamerica]

1. the trading computers are just fucking with us

it'll be easier to take over with only 1 % with the funds to fight back.

[Ex Lurker]

2. intertwined with that

Mom and Pop investors who bought and held for the long term smoothed out those wild fluctuations. The Wall Street bloodbaths have wiped out an entire generation of them. Either they've lost everything or they've gotten out and will never get back in. All you see in the market now are wise guys playing the angles, and the volatility reflects that.

[DonCoquixote]

3. Democrat commerical that should, but will not be made

"You wanted us to put our Social Security HERE?"

[socialindependocrat]

4. Simple explanation

If you think about it, no one would make any money in the stock market if the prices didn't fluctuate. If you know there is a cyclical fluctuation or the price goes down on a usually solid stock, and you buy 1000 shares and it goes back up $1 then you make $1000. The wealthy are in heaven right now. They sell in the morning and watch the price drop and then buy back in the afternoon and the market closes where it started in the morning. No risk, just make a lot of money.
When the little guy invests the broker says, "Keep your money in for the long term, son!" That way, it's a lot less work for him. The Day Trader buys in the morning and watches as the price goes up during the day and pulls the increase off the top in the afternoon. The little guy watches his stocks drop but he's been told that it's O.K., just stick it out.

What a racket! It's a scam that they haven't thought up a name for yet.

Happy trading people!!