Quote from wilburbear:
We had the black swan in the Lehman crisis. World banks needed trillions and trillions of dollars.
The powers that be will do *whatever is necessary*. They will not let the market go down, and stay down.
Quote from wilburbear:
[B
Why aren't S&P puts the worst bet in history? [/B]
Quote from emg:
because SP puts have expiration date and the volatility is extreme on the downside (good for time value) vs the upside (bad for time value).
But, if u are a small trader, your silliest bet is trading without a proper Higher Education.
More than 90% of small traders lose. They just lose!
==========Quote from nonlinear5:
If you are willing to wait for 50 years, it probably makes sense on the long side. Over the shorter time period (such as 1 week, 1 month, or even 1 year), the likelihood of going down is about the same as it's of going up. Look up the S&P chart of the last 12 years. We are about the same as we were back then.

Quote from wilburbear:
A few minutes ago, the Dow was down 100 points , and the VIX was also down 2.5%!
If the stock market goes down, calls for QE3, and other Fed actions, will increase.
The financial markets will be supported at ALL costs. We could have the equivalent of the Irish Patato Famine where people are eating grass, but the stock market will NOT be allowed to decline.
Quote from wilburbear:
A few minutes ago, the Dow was down 100 points , and the VIX was also down 2.5%!
If the stock market goes down, calls for QE3, and other Fed actions, will increase.
The financial markets will be supported at ALL costs. We could have the equivalent of the Irish Patato Famine where people are eating grass, but the stock market will NOT be allowed to decline.