A post on a blog mirrored what I have been saying since long before the crash – back when the sheepele said I was dead wrong about my casino view of the stock market and the economy in general.  I said then that the system is made to toss itself up and down to shake money out of the small/middle investors and “average person.”  This has come to pass in flying colours but a commentator on another – more widely read blog – was good enough to quote it in full:

high volatility is a fundamental requirement for the Megabanksters to make money.
In this era of computerized flashtrading, even more than formerly, they control the market by their trading patterns. It is these entities that drive stock prices up, then short the stock while quietly/clandestinely selling at the peak (meanwhile-with the assistance of their hired media- urging the public to buy heavily on this “upwardly moving” stock). When they have dumped off the stock at profitably manipulated prices, they then drop the price of the stock (making heavy profits on the short side) and carefully buy up the bottomed out stock (and call optiios) again at distressed prices.
rinse..repeat..rinse..repeat..rinse..repeat..ririnse..repeat..rinse..repeat..rinse..repeat..nse..repeat..rinse..repeat..rinse..repeat..rinse..repeat..rinse..repeat..rinse..repeat..rinse..repeat..rinse..repeat..rinse..repeat..etc..etc.. ad infinitum.

The higher the volitility, the higher the profitability (and with the volume of trading these entities control, it is not necessary to make a bundle on every trade…..whittling out your profits works just fine)

There is no reason of justification for the small guy to remain in the market…
at least in Vegas, you know the score–there is no way to win in the long haul–the house takes their cut, but still the slots occasionally pay off and provide entertainment and a thrill.

The casino economy continues and we all just have to keep putting our money into the pot, whether we like it or not…..