Greg, re: Manipulation
Thanks for your positive response.
I'll make this brief: the stock market is at the very center of our capitalist system, the intention being that companies are valued at what a willing buyer and willing seller can agree to exchange ownership for at any given moment. Really a great system.
As a trader and investor, I watch the market almost tick by tick, and there are "program" buys and sells that take place many times every day, that are moving billions of dollars of equity valuation into and out of the companies and their shareholders. This is done by trading firms that benefit from manipulation of stock prices and their effect on derivative contracts. The sell "programs" that kicked in on Monday were more important than usual only because the volume was low at that time, and the effect increased. I am sure these trading firm made millions, while investors lost billions in equity in their portfolios.
As this, as I said before, is the method we use to value our companies, my opinion is that it should be regulated with the same ethical integrety and vigor that we apply to a race track or a state lottery. Instead we have the SEC looking the other way, no disclosure or enforcement of existing rules, a system that allows a few to profit, and which results in inaccurate valuations and increased volitlity.
It's Christmas day and I will get off my soapbox.
John |
