The Dow Jones average went above 20,000 yesterday for the first time, marking a new era for investors. However, analysts expressed a word of caution amidst the euphoria. Jason Zweig, writing in the Wall St. Journal (wsj.com), stated that history of the market includes the cycles of highs and lows, reaching back to the crash of '29 which brought the average down to a level that took almost 25 years to reach again. Other crashes followed over the next 60 years, some only recently: the dive after the 2008 recession.
Yes, long bull markets are there, too, but nobody really had insights into the future of the market with justifiable accuracy.
A cautionary tale. Just this week, the retail sector of the economy has been hit with shock waves as investors in retail shopping malls have turned back properties to lenders, in effect, creating high risks for holders of securities based on real estate mortgages held on mall properties. Anchor tenants
have been under pressure as online buyers opt out of shopping and brick and mortar locations which offer little to various retail shoppers, especially boomers who recall the experience of mall shopping as it used to be with high quality, domestically produce goods. Now, the offerings are generally low quality goods produced in China or India or Bangladesh. While not boycotting these goods or locations, shoppers refuse to make the effort to root out quality amidst the trash at Macys, Kohls, Walmart, etc.
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