Manic-Depressive Markets

PUBLISHED: 11 Mar 2015 @ 07:01 | Comments (0) | More info about Lou Gutheil

“Like any high-stakes business, the highs and lows can make you a manic-depressive person, if you weren’t that way to start with.”

Sounds like someone commenting on the stock market – and anyone involved with it – doesn’t it? One day everyone is euphoric. The next, they are ready to admit themselves to the nearest mental institution. That is certainly the way the markets have been over the past few days. Some markets have reached their loftiest heights in history – including the FTSE 100 – but, today, almost all seem to have, like Icarus, flown too close to the sun.

All around the world, equity investing has suffered. Traders and investors will be late getting home tonight because they will be hanging around the pubs like they are ICU recovery rooms.

It’s a down day for sure

I don’t know how you define a “down day,” but I can paint a picture of one for you:

Index	Change
FTSE 100	(2.52%)
Dow	(1.58%)
Nasdaq	(1.41%)
Nikkei	(0.67%)
Hang Seng	(0.94%)
ASX 200	0.00
SSE	(0.05%)
Bovespa	(-1.5%)
TSX	(1.45%)

Losers versus Gainers

For just a bit of a different perspective check the number of losers versus gainers across the markets today.

Market	Gainers	Losers
LSE	322	942
NYSE	681	2,099
Nasdaq	712	1,874
Tokyo	1,488	1,883
Hong Kong	579	969
Australia	449	550
Shanghai	537	285
Brazil	102	185
Toronto	213	789
Total	5,083	9,576

More than 65% of the stocks in these leading markets were losers today.

More details are available at our Toplist and Global Markets pages. The problem is, that almost anywhere you look, it’s not a pretty picture today.

If you think that China is a bright spot, I would suggest not running too fast to that light at the end of your proverbial tunnel-vision. It could be a freight train coming right at you. One day does not make up for an extended period of volatility. And it might be the light from a financial fuse that ignites an explosion of uncontrolled economic expansion and contraction.

So you’ve had a bad day . . .

This, too, shall pass. It may get better, or it may get worse, but, until further notice, there will be a tomorrow.

Oh, by the way. That opening quote did not come from a financial guru. It came from an actress. She should spend a few days on the trading floor.

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