Nope -- we're too gloomy

[REWahoo]

Nope -- we're too gloomy

It's chic to be down on the market. But positive omens abound -- not the least of which is pessimism

December 17, 2005: 8:57 AM EST
By Andy Serwer, FORTUNE editor-at-large

NEW YORK (FORTUNE) - During the darkest days of October -- when the S&P 500 dropped below 1200 and became mired there -- life got a little scary for bulls like Tobias Levkovich.

"There were some anxious moments," acknowledges Citigroup's chief U.S. equity strategist,..

...is the market overvalued, as Yale's Robert Shiller argues? Levkovich doesn't think so, Professor. "Stocks are, at worst, fairly valued," he says. "And probably they are attractively valued."

In the interest of fair and balanced reporting...

http://money.cnn.com/2005/12/16/markets/serwer_fortune_122605/index.htm

 

[greg]

Wahoo:

 

[Gone4Good]

Rats, Wahoo! You beat me to the punch. 

 

[Danny]

Wahoo - I have been gloomy about the economy and the government lately. Its just plain amazing how we are holding up so well.

But I'm keeping my spirits up by looking toward 2009 when the new Democratic administration starts cleaning up the mess that is being made of late.

There will be balanced budgets, balanced trade accounts, low inflation, diplomatic solutions to potential conflicts, and our standing in the world will be up where it belongs!

Then we should have an economy and a stock market like we had in the 90's! Maybe if Hillary wins she can keep Bill busy with stuff like putting the current administration in jail.

 

[Gone4Good]

There will be balanced budgets, balanced trade accounts, low inflation, diplomatic solutions to potential conflicts, and our standing in the world will be up where it belongs!

I'll take the under on that bet.

And we do have an economy like the 90's - only better. GDP growth from 1990-1999 averaged about 1.97% compared with 3.3% from 2000-2005. Unemployment of 5% in 2005 compared with an average of 5.7% in the 90's. Inflation averaged 2.8% in the 90's compared with about 2.6% from 2000-2005. Productivity of just 1.97% in the 90's compared with 3.3% from 2000-2005.

Cheer up folks.

 

[Danny]

I'll take the under on that bet.

And we do have an economy like the 90's - only better. GDP growth from 1990-1999 averaged about 1.97% compared with 3.3% from 2000-2005. Unemployment of 5% in 2005 compared with an average of 5.7% in the 90's. Inflation averaged 2.8% in the 90's compared with about 2.6% from 2000-2005. Productivity of just 1.97% in the 90's compared with 3.3% from 2000-2005.

Cheer up folks.

Well as long as you are using those facts and numbers, let's change the 90's to a lot better than we've ever known it. Maybe Elliot Spitzer could be Attorney General instead of Bill.

 

[Mr._johngalt]

But I'm keeping my spirits up by looking toward 2009 when the new Democratic administration starts cleaning up the mess that is being made of late.

You forgot the smiley face.

JG

 

[Danny]

You forgot the smiley face.

JG

That post was one big JG

 

[Gone4Good]

Then we should have an economy and a stock market like we had in the 90's! Maybe if Hillary wins she can keep Bill busy with stuff like putting the current administration in jail.   

He won't have time with a fresh batch of interns to chase and cigars to, um, smoke.

 

[Danny]

He won't have time with a fresh batch of interns to chase and cigars to, um, smoke.

Bill may have been retired from such activities with the help of health issues and mounds of pubic humiliation and no telling what H did to him.
And also the new Democratic administration can work off that debt!

 

[Gone4Good]

  Bill may have been retired from such activities with the help of health issues and mounds of pubic humiliation and no telling what H did to him. 
And also the new Democratic administration can work off that debt!

I have no doubt there will be a new Democratic administration. The only thing I can hope for is that Republicans retain control of Congress resulting in a return of sweet, glorious, Washington GRIDLOCK!!!!! The government that does the best, does the least!!

 

[Jeb-NY]

Washington GRIDLOCK!!!!! The government that does the best, does the least!!

That's my hope also, that is the only way to make it work. Both sides have equally bad habits when you don't have gridlock.

Jeb

 

[Gone4Good]

That's my hope also, that is the only way to make it work.  Both sides have equally bad habits when you don't have gridlock.
Jeb

"Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely"

Republicans rode into Washington on a platform of smaller government. That probably lasted for a year and a half. Since then they've been an absolute fiscal disaster. To say they've been spending like drunken sailors is an insult to drunken sailors. The only thing more frightening then Republicans in complete control of the check book is Democrats in complete control. Better to have them both stalemated and at each others throats. I'm firmly convinced the only reason we saw budget surpluses in 2000 was because neither side had enough power to write checks to their favored constituency.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Remember that Halcyon time when the government had to be shut down for a few days? Can we get them to do it again?

Ed
{Still wishing for a spell-checker in this editor!}

 

[BigMoneyJim]

{Still wishing for a spell-checker in this editor!}

The board software supports one, but the needed server-side component isn't installed on the server. On the other hand, the needed component is very buggy at the moment (probably why it's not installed). An alternative is to use a client-side spellchecker like ieSpell or similar for IE and other browsers. Some people compose in Word then cut-and-paste to the board, but this sometimse creates odd characters or other glitches.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Some people compose in Word then cut-and-paste to the board, but this sometimse creates odd characters or other glitches.

Actually, I am a fairly odd character. But that is neither here nor there.

OK, I will try to compose off-line. Now, can you tell me how to use the table function??

Much obliged.

Ed

 

[BigMoneyJim]

Now, can you tell me how to use the table function??

Here is a thread on making tables. It was made on the old board software and some of the examples are different looking now. dory36's post in that thread has a great example of how to do it, and for some reason it's displaying the code instead of the table. My long posts after that conclude that if you have a table of numbers (or lots of cells with no spaces in them ) to add spaces before and/or after the number/cell otherwise the board software messes the table code up while attempting to prevent long lines. The extra spaces keep it from breaking up the code.

The table buttons are somewhat useless. wzd made a table generator at http://home.earthlink.net/~wzd3/YABBtable.html which may be of help.


This is cell 1This is cell 2And this is cell 3
cell 4cell 5cell 6
cell 7cell 8cell 9

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Thanks, BMJ.

Merry Christmas.