One year too late selling might also be a perspective. Do not feel alone. I was thinking about suggesting my wife liquidate her fund last week but will not follow through. Call it greed that I have not. Or if I did and the market still climbs would I ever hear the end of it.

The ideal that Chinas economy will double in the next 7 years announced today seemed to stimulate the markets here initially. Personally I thought it was a downer as north America has no such picture for itself in view. At best I expect no real growth in north America overall in sectors where it really counts.

A lot of Chinese expected growth will come from guess what continent. Do we in north America have any real growth if you discount the retail sector that is so predominate today? If the taxpayer is putting more and more borrowed money into the system or it is being done by central powers in our name? Government at all levels have joined this game to some extent as well. Just to attempt to sustain what is. Where is the reality?

The system in north America can only function well with real growth. We seem totally lacking in how to live in a zero or less growth climate.

Wall street needs some lessons in responsible behaviours.I have this feeling they would even sell out there own mothers for their perceived self interests. As for the political angle. Wall street has already positioned people in strategic government positions including even advisors to the president. This will still grow and is a wonderful scenario in itself.

Interest rates going up substantially would be a miracle in the current environment and do a lot of damage. Still it may be the responsible move. Based on this do not expect signifigant changes in rates..

I have been playing with the ideal of buying some farmland.There is even a fund out there that buys it up and rents it out. It has been taking off reciently. I think the object is more to protect the value of any principal than huge gains on it.

Something like a real gold if you reflect on it. I think farming has started to do much better in the last couple of years. As the old saying goes people will still have to eat. There at the same time are many things they do not really have to do.

This quarters profits by the large grocery chains are down. My wife thinks that many people are switching over to buying more specials or promo items than ever before is causing it. Or they are simply buying less.

You get older like the wife and myself. There is no longer time to make up heavy losses so you become ever more conservative. Sitting on a lot of cash and watching it steadily decline in value is not an answer either.