Bottom Feeding

It's not news that the markets are in terrible shape - that has been evident for far too long. Neither is it news that they will eventually find a bottom - various pundits have been proclaiming it for some time, even as the market has continued to plummet. Eventually, that's bound to happen. What is new, if not news, is that I'm beginning to think that now may be the right time to get back into the game - move some of the funds I've been sheltering in treasury securities and CDs to equities. Here's why:

The market indices have all been fluctuating wildly - up one day, down the next - but have been in a consistently upward trend for the last three days in a row, with less brutal swings in value, and the major economic indicators, while far from rosy, don't justify the level to which the markets have already fallen.

Next week's elections, however they turn out, will provide some sense of a certain direction for the economic future of the nation. It's really doesn't matter which candidate comes out on top: what matters is that the decision will be made, one way or the other.

And so, unless a major bomb is dropped in the next few days, I expect we're on the road to recovery. Granted, many voices have said as much for quite some time, and I've not been entirely convinced.

I'm still not entirely convinced, but I'm beginning to have my doubts about my doubts, and that's as close to optimism as one can get in this market.