The notion that the markets will rise on the prospect of a weak jobs number tomorrow seems to be wishful thinking.
Of course, it's possible that the free float is oversold; and the market will rise for "technical reasons."
But still the completely dismal news environment could play a big role now.
My hunch is that the jobs number will be quite bad. Possibly around 50,000 or less.
It depends on how the seasonal fudge factors break. There was less hiring, and so there could have been less firing in the retail sector. We'll see.......
MANUFACTURING JOBS IN THE US SEEM TO BE HEADING TOWARD ZERO. AND EXACTLY HOW THAT HELPS THE US TRADE DEFICIT IS A MYSTERY TO MANY PEOPLE.
The dollar was over-bought and could correct for a few days, but gold is holding it's own; which shows that the long awaited DOLLAR EPIPHANY is not EVEN close.
There is even yada-yada about a 50 PB Fed Meeting coming up!
Which was the idea being pushed by this board for a while,.......who knows maybe the economists are catching up to the Bloggers! At least This Blogger!
I suspect that Dubya's Inauguration Day will be a MAJOR BUMMER for the global markets.
The reality of FOUR MORE YEARS of incompetence on a massive scale will depress the world.
The problem being that Dubya & Co are totally and completely intellectually bankrupt in every way now.
And the few notions they do have are simply MORE DISASTEROUS LOOTING OF THE ECONOMY BY THE RICH!
This INTELLECTUAL BANKRUPTCY is all well and good----if you are a minority party that can express its screwball notions and not be taken too seriously.
But alas, the Screwballs are running the show in Washington now! So we have to learn to live with it.
Seperately, Friedman and Dowd are back on the NYT editorial page. Dowd is her witchy-bitchy self with ever more whining and complaining. And Friedman STILL supports the war like every good Likudnic should. Friedman should write speeches for Carl Levin, the anti-war Senator
whose really for the war. Half way through any Friedman column nowadays you can hear the mental wheels start to slip as he trys to take both sides of the war issue.
My hunch is that the so-called Iraqi Elections could be a disaster in every way, and in ways not yet dreamed of!
I mean, there are going to be US troops all around the polling places like sitting ducks!
And if they are attacked, what do you do? CALL IN AN AIR STRIKE! Think about it......
Up to now the "J.K.I. Policy"---ie. JUST KILL IRAQIS---has worked out fine; with the exception of the PRISON TORTURE CASES, and a few other little problems.
BUT, IF THE US TROOPS START SHOOTING IRAQI VOTERS RANDOMLY ON ELECTION
DAY?
WHICH IS VERY LIKELY TO HAPPEN GIVEN THE TENSE SITUATION.
(UNDER THE OLD VIETNAM BATTLE STRAGEY OF: "KILL EM ALL AND LET GOD SORT EM OUT")
WE COULD HAVE A MAJOR GEOPOLICITAL CATASHTROPHE WITH PICTURES OF DEAD
VOTERS ALL OVER THE FRONT PAGES OF THE GLOBAL PRESS!
THE IRAQI INSURGENTS COULD BE PLANNING A MAJOR OFFENSIVE FOR ELECTION
DAY ON THE 30TH OF JANUARY.
A MUCH BETTER PLAN WOULD BE TO HAVE STAGGERED VOTING BY PROVINCE.
WITH MAIL IN BALLOTS OR EVEN "INTERNET VOTING" WITH NO ONE DAY BEING
THE TARGET "ELECTION DAY."
THIS WOULD CONFUSE THE INSURGENTS AND MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO HAVE BIG
SOFT TARGETS FILLED WITH US TROOPS AS WE HAVE NOW.
AND WHO KNOWS, ...... IF WE GET THE IRAQI ELECTION RIGHT?
SOMEDAY TRUE DEMOCRACY MAY EVEN COME TO MORE BACKWARD PLACES IN THE
WORLD
----LIKE FLORIDA AND OHIO!!
