I am not an economist, nor do I pretend to be one on TV. Still, I will hazard a prediction regarding the US Stock Markets in the near term.

The worst is over, and there will be some positive movement in the market over the coming week. This will continue gradually until the consumer credit monster begins to rear its ugly defaulting head in the future. Far too many Americans are credit card hocked up to their necks, so this monster is coming, make no mistake about it. I cannot venture a guess as to how serious a problem it will be though. Much depends are whether the economy recovers quickly, which I do not think it will, although I believe it will recover somewhat steadily over the next several months.

The markets have been hammered much harder than fundamentals can justify. This is because confidence and fear still are playing into the Bear's hand, but there are indications that even small individual investors are beginning to comprehend there are values to be had presently. There is a tremendous amount of money sitting on the sidelines in liquid accounts presently, and a tepid upsurge will likely result in a gradual opening of the faucet in the market's direction.

It's a matter of personal risk aversion whether it's time for individuals to enter into the game again though. Things are going to be up and down for some time now. Many of the RR crowd have taken hard hits in their retirement accounts. I am not an exception. It looks as if I will have to come out of my semi-retired status and start seriously looking about for solid contract work, instead of picking up what intrigues me at low-balled prices. My family, both paternally and maternally has a history of long life. Even the members who have arrogantly ignored their personal health seem to live well into their 70's. The healthy ones usually have lived into their late 90s. I must assume that I too will live long, and do not desire to live as a pauper. It's OK though. One should never count their chickens before they hatch, nor consider money tied up in stock funds to be its present valuation.