... Just blinked.
I commented on this on last night's Nightly Business Report (link pending), but what the debt crisis has done is focus investor attention on a legitimate problem and revealed a fascinating shortcoming of the Market.
First some perspective. Do you think for a moment that if we decided to raise the debt ceiling quietly and without any fuss that the markets would have blinked? I mean, it's been raised 74 times since 1962. Ten times since 2001!
And it's not like our national debt snuck up on us. In fact a few miles away from me at Union Square there's a gigantic COUNTER revealing the national debt up in real time.
So what's the big fuss. Why are people who could have shouted "DOWNGRADE!" in a crowded market decide to pick this moment to do so when they could have for years now?
It's actually quite ironic if you think about it.
If we had chosen to raise the limit and ignore the problem - just as we've been ignoring it for years - August 2nd would have come and gone without incident.
When we decide to, you know actually address the problem... we "at risk for a downgrade".
Hardly seems fair.
MarketPsych's partner and resident genius, Dr. Rich Peterson, has a fascinating post below on what the implications may be. We invite you to check it out.
In the mean time, Happy Investing.
And hey... let's be careful out there.
(Seriously.)
-Dr. Frankenstocks![]()
I commented on this on last night's Nightly Business Report (link pending), but what the debt crisis has done is focus investor attention on a legitimate problem and revealed a fascinating shortcoming of the Market.
First some perspective. Do you think for a moment that if we decided to raise the debt ceiling quietly and without any fuss that the markets would have blinked? I mean, it's been raised 74 times since 1962. Ten times since 2001!
What? Is the 75th time the charm?
Of course not.
And it's not like our national debt snuck up on us. In fact a few miles away from me at Union Square there's a gigantic COUNTER revealing the national debt up in real time.
So what's the big fuss. Why are people who could have shouted "DOWNGRADE!" in a crowded market decide to pick this moment to do so when they could have for years now?
Here's the dirty little secret: The Market can't focus on EVERYTHING.
It just can't. The Market (i.e., the investing public) doesn't have the mental bandwith to factor in every variable. So it can only focus on a few issues at a time, usually the ones that appear most urgent or emotionally charged.
Avoidance works. And a problem isn't a problem until we decide it is. That's what makes a bubble. A whole bunch of people decide to ignore a problem... until they don't.
So instead of getting a relief rally for defusing the debt-ceiling time bomb with 1 second left on the clock, we got a renewed attention on some significant problems. The rose-colored glasses are off... the shades are on. And people have taken a dimmer view of our plight.
It's actually quite ironic if you think about it.
If we had chosen to raise the limit and ignore the problem - just as we've been ignoring it for years - August 2nd would have come and gone without incident.
When we decide to, you know actually address the problem... we "at risk for a downgrade".
Hardly seems fair.
MarketPsych's partner and resident genius, Dr. Rich Peterson, has a fascinating post below on what the implications may be. We invite you to check it out.
In the mean time, Happy Investing.
And hey... let's be careful out there.
(Seriously.)
-Dr. Frankenstocks
www.marketpsych.com![]()
