Economery...

[AustinsCE]

Last night, Eurasia got antsy, and bad things happened.

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Russian-stocks-tumble-trading-suspended/story.aspx?guid={8FB99F30-712D-4980-A861-8C070365C221}

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) - Russian stocks tumbled Tuesday, prompting the RTS and the Micex stock exchanges to suspend trading for one hour at 4:05 p.m. Moscow time. The dollar-denominated RTS stock index plunged 9.4%, while the ruble-denominated Micex stock index fell 9.6%. The decline in Russia followed a tumble in oil prices and declines on global stock markets...

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601082&sid=acerPa4tlqXg&refer=canada

By Nicholas Larkin

Feb. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Gold rose to its highest in almost seven months in London as investors bought the precious metal to preserve their wealth on speculation the global economy will deteriorate. Silver climbed to a more than five-month high.

Stocks in Europe and Asia retreated on concern banks face further losses and lower debt ratings and as the economic slump deepens. Bullion has climbed 33 percent since October as governments lowered interest rates and spent trillions of dollars to combat the recession. Physical demand has pushed holdings in exchange-traded funds to records...

[AustinsCE]

http://www.usatoday.com/money/markets/2009-02-17-stocks-tuesday_N.htm

In midday trading, the Dow dropped 260.37, or 3.32%, to 7,590.04. It fell as low as 7,553.48 in early trading — just a point away from the blue-chip index's five-and-a-half month closing low of 7,552.29 reached Nov. 20.

Broader stock indicators also lost ground. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 32.58, or 3.94%, to 794.26. The Nasdaq composite index fell 57.01, or 3.72%, to 1,477.35.

The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 16.37, or 3.65%, to 431.99.

Declining issues outnumbered advancers by 2,830 to 198 on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume came to 534.6 million shares.

[al76slc]

Hey - I call infraction!

Isn't OD now supposed to be about happy stuff?

[AustinsCE]

Dammit! But all my cat pictures are on another computer. I concede. Everything's peaches, roses, pie and there's a rainbow in the sky permanently from now on.

[al76slc]

Gee. I feel better now too.

Who cares if the Dow is at the level it was 10 years ago, and my retirement plans are shot to hell. I'll be thinking good thoughts....


BTW, I happen to agree that something fun has left OD in the last few months, but I think it comes with the national mood, unfortunately.