The Dow Jones Average is a useful measure for uninformed daily newscasters to mention instead of real business news.

My pension fund (which is very broadly based, but not an "index" fund) has now slightly exceeded its prior high from 2001. It's ten year average return is about 8% which is typical for the stock market over long periods of time. This is, of course, not adjusted for inflation. If it were the real return would be more like 4%.

I've written many times on how the best the stock market can do over long periods of time is population growth+productivity growth+inflation. This has been somewhat violated over the past 30 years since wealth has been extracted from the working class (in the form of wage and earnings stagnation) and shifted to the investor class (in the form of higher corporate earnings).

This has now pretty much reached an end. The last major US sector (autos) is now being de-unionized. After this there will be very few ways to extract more work for less pay from people. The median family already has a negative savings rate. The next step will be a decline in standard of living which will produce a drop in demand as well.

The pursuit of unrealistic returns has meant that increasing risky forms of investment are being used. Even pension funds are trying to make 10% a year and thus investing in junk bonds and hedge funds. This will all end unpleasantly. The only question is when.

Here are a couple of my previous essays on the topic:
Wealth without Work

Coming Crash

I suppose it is in the nature of things that the young are optimistic and the old not, but even the optimistic and idealistic should study history so as to gain a sense of balance.

Policies not Politics
---- Daily Landscape