Thursday, May 20, 2010

Dow Down, Jobless Claims Up

I'm pressed for time right now so don't expect my usual supreme brilliance.  You'll have to settle for brilliance that's merely far above average.  Anyway, the Dow sucked rotten eggs today:

Stocks took their deepest plunge in more than a year Thursday as fears grew that Europe's debt crisis could spread around the world and undermine the U.S. economic recovery. The possibility has been brewing for weeks, but analysts said some investors are just waking up to it.


Yeah, "some investors" are the ones who don't read my blog.  Don't look too far for a cause of the market's woes.  Besides Greece and the usual suspects, joblessness is coming back with a vengeance:

The number of people filing new claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose last week by the largest amount in three months. The surge is evidence of how volatile the job market remains, even as the economy grows.

Come on, what's with this "as the economy grows" caveat?  Last quarter's growth numbers will be revised downward anyway.