Has the Stock Market Crash Finally Arrived?

[rodin]

Since Purim markets have been in a low volume holding pattern. I wonder when they will land? Odd complete contrast to the volatility leading up to Monday this week. Stinky CNN Europe were calling Monday a disaster following Far East collapses. No doubt to get some suckers to short in the morning before the snap back.

Mebbe waiting for the new moon.

[Roger the Horse]

Appears to be arriving again!

BBC Wednesday, 14 March 2007, 11:29 GMT



World stocks tumble on US fears

Asian traders are concerned about the strength of the US economy
European stocks have joined a global sell-off, after concerns about the US economy and mortgage industry hurt markets in Asia and dented Wall Street.
The UK's FTSE tumbled 103.4 points, or 1.7%, to 6,057.8. Earlier, Japan's Nikkei index closed 2.9% lower and New York's Dow Jones index ended down 2%.

Indexes in Hong Kong, Malaysia, India and Australia fell more than 2%.

The sell-off comes just as stocks were starting to recover from a sharp slump that rocked markets late last month.

Analysts said that market volatility was likely to continue, especially as many markets and stocks had climbed to their highest levels in more than six years.

Lee Cheng Hooi of EON Capital said that the worry for investors was that the problems in the US mortgage market could cause the world's biggest economy to slow down.

"This will cause a domino effect on the world economy," he explained. "There could be more bloodbath to come."

Shakedown

Although analysts said Asia's leading economies remained fundamentally strong, markets across the region are particularly sensitive to signs of a possible economic slowdown in the US, a key export market.

This latest round of selling has been sparked by concerns over the US sub-prime mortgage market.

Sub-prime lenders, who target consumers with poor credit histories, have been hit by an increase in defaults and bad loans.

What's the problem with sub-prime?

Figures have shown that late mortgage payments and home repossessions in the US are at their highest level since records began.

New Century, the second-biggest sub-prime mortgage lender in the US, is seen by many observers to be close to bankruptcy - and the fear among investors is that this will ripple out into more stable parts of the economy.

"If the US sub-prime mortgage problems get worse, it could begin to hurt US consumers, and that would be very hurtful for exporters," said Kim Yung-min, a fund manager at SH Asset Management in Seoul.

"This month could be very bad," he added.

Wall Street's slide on Tuesday also gained momentum from a US Commerce Department report that showed retail sales rose at a lower-than-expected rate of 0.1% in February, suggesting consumer spending could be slowing down.

Strong fundamentals

But while many investors are reassessing their holdings and shedding some of their riskier assets, many others are happy to ride out the storm and buy into markets with good long-term growth prospects.


"The sell-off is in sympathy with the sharp sell-off we saw overnight on Wall Street, and it highlights the continued nervousness out there," said David Cohen of Action Economics.

But "the world economy seems to be remaining on an upward trajectory", he explained, adding that this is probably "a correction after the strong rally that was experienced for the previous several months around the world".

For investors, the big question is how far and for how long this correction will last, and whether or not the current bull market run will be broken.

Last year, markets lost as much as 10% of their value in May, only to recover and surge even higher, setting many record share prices.


In the weeks before the first sell-off, sparked by fears of a new capital gains tax in China and Beijing's attempts to slow the economy, the FTSE 100 was at its highest level in more than six years.

The index has lost 5.7% since 26 February, wiping £92bn off its market value.

But that still leaves it with a total worth of £1.53 trillion - and many analysts are predicting steady earnings growth for its biggest firms.

The same is true for many of the main markets worldwide, said Tim Rocks of Macquarie Securities.

"We see the outlook as fundamentally very, very strong," he explained.

"It's a danger to become too defensive in this environment. Obviously we're not going to know the full extent of this slowdown in the US for some time now, so there's some reason for caution."

[karlos]

as i stated earlier in a previous post. Falls like this are when the professionals shake the market to allow them to but cheaply.
Hence always use the minor corrections as buying opotunities.
Notice how many shares did NOT fall at all.

[kathaksung]

The big crash is planned with the starting of Iran war. So the 2/27 was a failed one and the collapse was postponed days later. It's waiting for the next plot.

470. Strong EM wave radiation and February plot (3/3/07)

In last post, I said the Feds didn't take a break and is going on with new plot. I was right. There was another plot planned to take place in February 27.

In last post, I worried about they would sacrifice Prince Harry to justify a new war. I was right. They planned war by sacrifice of celebrities' lives.

Re: "Cheney Targeted in Afghan Blast
Associated Press | February 27, 2007

BAGRAM, Afghanistan - A suicide bomber killed and wounded some two dozen people outside the main U.S. military base in Afghanistan on Tuesday during a visit by Vice President Dick Cheney. The Taliban claimed responsibility and said Cheney was the target. "

http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,126678,00.html

In previous messages, I alleged there would be international financial crisis came with the terror attack. I was right. This time the Inside Group prepared a big fall on global stock market. On February 27, the China's stock market dropped 8,8%. Japan and US stock market lost more than 3% that day. So were Hongkong and other countries.(U.K., India, Australia.....) They all had a significant loss in stock index.

Cheney's trip to Afghanistan was unnecessary and unplanned.

Re: "US says Cheney wasn't target of Afghan attack.
By Griff Witte Washington Post

WASHINGTON - A purported Taliban spokesman asserted responsibility for a suicide bomb attack Tuesday at the main US air base in Afghanistan and said it was an attempt to assassinate Vice President Dick Cheney. But US officials disputed the claim, stating that Cheney's overnight stay at the sprawling Bagram Air Base had been unplanned and that he was well away from the blast."
(San Jose Mercury News 2/28/07)

Was Cheney well away from the blast?

He himself said "I heard a loud boom" than was moved promptly to a bomb shelter.

Is it true that Cheney wasn't target of Afghan attack?

How could the Taliban spokesman claim they targeted at Cheney? The claim came with the news of bombing. (see the above news right on the day of Feb. 27.) Obviously it was pre-prepared. Do you think the bombing happened at Bagram Air Base was a coincidence that Cheney happened to take an unplanned visit there?

Why US deny Cheney was not targeted one day later?

On Feb 27 the authority said the bombing proved Taliban infiltrated the intelligence. Do you believe Taliban has so remarkable ability? It only proves Al Qaida, as I always said, is a tool manipulated by US intelligence. They do whatever the intelligence want them to do. Cheney's unplanned visit may not be aware by high ranking US officials, how could Taliban knew it and prepared a bombing attack in a very short time? US denied that Cheney was not the target one day later because there were many flaws in this soured plot. A real investigation would have found the root of a plot of false flag attack. So they cover it up as a random attack coincide with Cheney's visit. Otherwise there will be an investigation on their own: the Secret Service, CIA, Pentagon. They will use the "Al Qaida infiltrate the intelligence" as a justification for the next assassination. There is still Prince Harry there.