Well, I thought LeadBouncer's explaination was good and seems to fit what my non-professional impression of stock activity has been. It ticks me off that I got out of the market at it's low point, or about there, and now I refuse to buy back in until it drops again, if it ever does. To me, the stock market belies the true economic picture. The crash hurt my retirement funds (me, and most every other boomer), but unlike you, Irie, I blame irresponsible buyers who just had to have the "best", whether they could afford it or not. Simplistic? Yes. Accurate? I think so.