Today in the economy

[Gandalf]

It's beyond me how so called reputable large banks have managed to screw themselves up so bad. And with so much money being put into those intitutions by people who are just trying to bank their hard earned wages. A decade ago, you just wouldn't have worried about puting all your money in the bank. I look at the British banks now and I'm filled with horror. Surely people are being held accountable for gross misconduct somewhere? It's not really related to what Sheep said, but I was just thinking about it now.

And like Von Milash says, the financial markets are slumping and it doesn't seem like it's going to abate. About 2 years ago I seriously thought about trying to get higher returns on my money by putting it into stocks and shares. I'm so glad I didn't bother. It's at the lowest level for 12 years and it seems it will get worse before and sign of recovery.

And the exchange rates suck too. The U.S dollar generally holds at about 1100-1200 won against the dollar. It's spiralled up to 1500won and up against the dollar now. And it will probably get worse. I get very hungry here because the supermarkets SUCK. So I import a load of stuff from the UK twice a year. My next ordering time is due next month. However, my Korean credit card works by converting the pound into dollar and then into Korean won, so I'm likely to get hit with a crap exchange rate when I next order. It's either that or eat dog for the rest of the year.

So, my conclusion is that everything kind of sucks.

[CGM]

Miles you might well be right about things getting worse before they get better. That in and of itself doesn't make this a bad time to invest though. Right now things are rally low. They may get lower still, but the losses won't be nearly as big as in the last year I don't think. The problem is that it is very difficult to time the upswing. and it is also different to tell if an upswing is long term or just a blip. If you wait until it is proven to be a recovery, then by that time stocls will have climbed quite a bit, and you will miss out on some potential profits.