The FED through bank proxies will never allow sustained downdraft in equities, they have too much to loose. If equity prices continue to deteriorate it will lead to further carnage in junk bond market, which will spill over into other derivatives. This will totally undermine their strategy and further QE will be needed.
The easiest thing to do is catch everyone with their pants down and goose the spooz into the close. The market is range bound, the bottom is protected and the top is suppressed. And thats what we have seen the past year. A range bound market, as the true economy deteriorates, it keeps long term interest rates checked, leading to flattening of yield curve. And this exactly what is happening.
Chris