From where I stand . . .

STOCK MARKET:   The wild swings in our Equity Markets are obviously a result of both International events and, despite all the positive economic news, all the Political garbage taking place here at home. We have seen the major indexes drop over 10% from their late Jan. highs, hitting their lows in early April.  Despite the recent rallies, the DJIA is still down 1,000 points from its high. A serious look at the long term picture brings up a serious question. We have a huge and ever growing National Debt. Can our economic growth offset this debt?  What happens when the US debt grows to truly be unbearable? How will that affect the Markets? Q. Do you have Bear Market Insurance? INTEREST RATES:   After many years of “Quantitative Easing”, we have noticed a recent uptick in interest rates.  During all this time, large institutions could borrow millions at near zero interest, but it was virtually impossible for Small Businesses to obtain just five or six figure bank loans - with or without SBA. (I speak from experience). Large corporations benefited by using these zero interest "loans", not to invest in expansion, but to buy back their company's stock, thus reducing the "float: Result: EPS, (earnings per share) would increase without increasing SALES. Growth where there was no growth. Market rallied . . . hmmm. What about our retirees, who relied on CD interest to supplement their golden years? Their $100,000 CD that once earned $5,000 interest, now earns a paltry $250. What genius was behind all of this? Will we see CD's, or Annuities, at 5% again?  Maybe, but I won’t hold my breath.          Q Are you one of the many investors looking into the “Alternate Investment Market”?