Random Thoughts: Market Meltdown 2011

Who Caused this Meltdown?

I couldn’t care less about the endless debates among experts on the reasons behind the recent stock market drop. Whether it’s the debt crisis in the United States or Europe, a market correction, or even aliens from Planet “X” manipulating us, explain it all you want, but I am more interested in knowing how to make money from it. As we are continuously bombarded with information at an ever-increasing pace, it seems that these market corrections are becoming more frequent. Is this simply a reflection of our modern times? I am not sure, but I do miss the good old days when stock market news was only available in the next day’s newspaper.

Unhappy to see parts of London ablaze at the hands of it’s residents. I don’t completely understand all the reasons behind it. Still, I find it interesting that the “rioters” (read thugs) were using Blackberry Messaging to communicate with each other because they thought it was private and then when they found out RIM was going to turn over the communication logs, a group of hackers attacked the RIM website. I wonder if these events were in any way connected. I think anybody who assumes a commercially available communication system is secure to communicate on is living in the 1900’s! (IMHO)

Most importantly, the NFL starts again this weekend (OK, exhibition games), which is great news (OK, Mrs. C8j isn’t as happy as I am). Plenty of time to watch burly young men smash each other to pieces all in the name of entertainment, selling beer and making money!

Given the visceral response of the markets to all the latest financial news the subjects from my site were kind of all over the place:

• I found an exciting video on the National Film Board Site called After the Axe which hit home for me. Anybody who thinks lay offs are easier the higher up in the food chain you get, needs to think again.
• My Jobs and Sunday’s best was it’s normal review of my tweets for the week as well as a biting commentary on the brewing financial frappuccino of crap.
• OK news with Employment stalls a little for July in Canada (2011) at least we didn’t lose jobs, but still not very heartening news either.
• With the new Planet of the Apes movie coming out I figured I’d play an homage to the original movie with It’s a Mad house, A MAD HOUSE! (financially again).
• Staying with a Hollywood angle on things I remembered the phrase Anybody seen my financial ass? which is how a lot of investors must feel after this week’s shenanigans in the markets
• Even Mrs. C8j kicked in with a subject this week: Student + Credit Card = Mayhem? anybody who hands a kid a credit card and the first thing they teach them is how to pay the minimum per month should be handed a live grenade with the pin removed (metaphorically speaking).
• Random Thoughts: Summer Break! is a recap of the previous week’s best.

I enjoy all comments (even the ones that question my sanity), and will try to respond to most comments, so please feel free to comment away. For you spammers who continue to inundate me with your drivel, keep it up as well.

Now that we are in the throws of a full financial cluster flock and the Brits are in the middle of civil unrest there were some interesting comments by other bloggers this week:

• Frugal Trader at Million Dollar journey has a guest post that talks about the Top 5 Pension Myths which is worth reading just to make sure you aren’t in the wrong on this important topic.
• Gail Vaz-Oxlade gets in the back to school mode with borrowing for school and just how much debt is too much debt?
• Michael James‘ wife played an interestingly money saving shell shipping game by saving money by shipping overseas (it was from overseas not to overseas). Just goes to show how much Canadians are still being gouged.
• Confusingly Echo (Robb) from Boomer & Echo wrote on Canadian Finance Blog about Dividend Yield vs. Dividend Growth (the article is not confusing, just keeping track of who is writing what on which blog).
• Canadian Capitalist joins in the discussions about the great meltdown of 2011 with European Debt Crisis: What to do now? and of course the answer is typically, not much.
• Credit Cards Canada gives us Back to School: 6 things to do as you get ready which is important no matter what age your students are.
• Larry MacDonald asks how will the housing bubble pop? and my guess would be with a loud kaboom in Vancouver and Toronto.
• Canadian Couch Potato gives us Lessons from the last decade where it seems like they are espousing active investing, or are they?
• Preet gives us a whimsical view of after S&P downgrade, debt markets disagree, and being surprised that different financial institutions disagree? Really? Remember, wrong is the new right.
• Echo of Boomer and Echo, wades into the bloody investing fray with Investment Strategies: Tune out the noise, stick to the plan which is good advice, stick with what you said you were going to do in the first place.
• Mike from money.smarts takes to task JD from Get Rich Slowly with sunk costs and the $900 plane ticket an interesting argument on both sides.

Remember

“You Maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you! God damn you all to hell!”

Author: Taylor (Charleton Heston) from the Original Planet of the Apes