Is it reasonable to think that lots of people sold their stock holdings when the market tanked

[intrepidity]

And now their losses are locked in and they are out of the market?

Are they screaming bloody murder anywhere? Or just sucking it up?

This feels like blatant market manipulation to me.

[Henry203]

1. I was thinking the same thing.

Some people are screwed.

[David__77]

2. I'm not at all sure that "it's over".

There’s a stubborn believe that “normalcy” will prevail. 10% tariffs still represent a big shift and the targeting of China, together with blowback, would cause a house of cards to fall.

[enid602]

3. Classic

The old ‘Trump Pump and Dump’ scam. A clasdic.

[ProfessorGAC]

6. If It Were A Classic Trump Scheme...

...he would have been an actual billionaire before the meme investment thing materialized before he was 78.
I think you give him too much credit for financial acumen.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

9. Right. "Manipulation" is an easy goto, but most often a sign of simplistic thinking. . . nt

[enid602]

16. Pump and dump

Why would’nt he try a simple pump and dump? The courts are already backed up for years with cases against him. Subpoenas, court orders etc are no problem if you’re a star. And if all else fails, appeal, appeal, appeal. And never admit a defeat.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

17. Why wouldn't he? Stupidity, incompetence, ego, .... That he * could * is not evidence that he did. . . nt

[enid602]

38. Rationale

Then I honestly can’t see any rational idea for his tariff approach and policy.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

40. Likewise, I can't see any rational idea for his tariff approach & policy. But I do see an irrational idea

I think he thinks he can make a legacy of being the greatest president ever by eliminating income tax and replacing it with a regressive tariff tax. He will achieve the opposite legacy.

As we know, he is a fool and the dumbest student in his economics prof's class.

[ProfessorGAC]

41. Exactly This

I think he's convinced this is his ticket to Rushmore.

[blubunyip]

44. Right

"nobody else would do this..." he says.

It's his ticket to Russia anyway...

[ProfessorGAC]

4. Some, Probably

We have to determine what "a lot" is, and whether it's enough to have caused what we saw.
I'm dubious about it, but I can't say no.
The vast majority of shareholders are likely riding it out and taking paper losses for the short term.
As an example, if someone bought into an index fund 4 years ago, and they made 50%, then lost 5% of that, they still made 42.5% in 4 years. That's still 9.26% per year. Nothing to panic about.
Wait 5 more years, get the same 10.67% plus recovery of half the short term losses and they make 10% per year for 10 years.
Yes, there are gains that will never be realized, but 10% for 10 years is still a sound investment.
I think it far more likely that the preponderance is that scenario. People who bailed completely perhaps lost some potential gains, but they still had whatever gains already accumulated.
I'm not saying taking a 5% hit to a 401k isn't cause for but, it's not Black Friday either.concern

[OAITW r.2.0]

5. It's like the stock market is a giant roulette wheel and Trump controls the table.

[Meowmee]

7. Class action lawsuit over insider trading

[elocs]

14. I wouldn't start holding my breath on that happening any time soon. n/t

[Meowmee]

15. Don't worry, I'm not 😹... which lawyers would take that on?

I would though if I were a lawyer.

[bucolic_frolic]

8. Some did. It's induced dump and pump.

It's why policy should be gradual, well thought out. Congress didn't give the president sledge hammer powers.

[elocs]

10. If you don't understand that you've not lost anything until you sell, then you shouldn't be in the market at all.

But all this tariffs, suspend tariffs by Trump is all about stock market manipulation and it's making billion$ for his buddies and a good chunk for him as well.

[Karma13612]

18. There are plenty of

People who are in the stock market through an employer who simply shows them the investment firm website and says “it’s all yours”. “You’re on your own”.

Good luck if you are clueless like I was for a long time. Employers who put the employees retirement funds in an investment like the stock market should be required to give training classes on how to manager their funds, or provide an investment counselor free of charge.

It might be offered now, but when I was that “said employee”, I was scared to touch my account since I was clueless. And no one held your hand.

[WarGamer]

12. Giving in to the fear was an idiotic move.

EVERY damn financial advisor will tell you simply... don't open your 401k monthly statement.

It'll be just fine, long term.

I blame those on social media crowing the "Sky is falling" for the last month, fucking scaring people and costing them BILLIONS.

[Doodley]

21. The sky was falling and it still may.

[Doodley]

25. Do you have stock?

[Doodley]

29. Do you realize that what is happening is unprecedented in terms of scale and potential economic destruction?

[Doodley]

35. It is different. 1/ We have a bad faith actor who is damaging trading relationships, insulting other nations. and

in the case of Mexico and Canada reneging on a trade agreement he signed. He has shown America to be untrustworthy. It will take decades to rebuild that trust.

2/ His actions are based on ignorance, personal feelings, and desire to promote himself as a strongman. In other words, we do not have an administration that puts the people first. This is the start of his term, so Democrats aren't going to be able to take control of the situation and fix the economic fallout.

3/ Other nations are already looking elsewhere to take their business and forging new relationships.

4/ In addition to tariffs, we have austerity to the extreme with DOGE that will further keep us in a long lasting recession.

5/ We have a president who is very disliked (way more that in term one). Worldwide, people don't like his blatant racism, mass deportations, anti-gay and trans, anti-women, anti-science, basic cruelty, and fascist style of leadership.

6/ Enough people don't want to even come to America. They fear they will be unwelcome. There are even travel warnings issued by some nations that have never been issued before. People want to avoid coming to America and they will avoid doing business with America. America is increasingly seen as a Pariah state.

Combined with tariff lunacy, we are headed for a long and deep recession.

[Karma13612]

43. It's so scary now....

[Meowmee]

26. Not all have "many years" for a supposed recovery

[moonscape]

34. Well, there are some (raising hand)

who don’t have ‘many years.’

So why do I have investments if I can’t afford to wait out the downs? Because I’ll outlive my $$ without growth. I supplement my SS from investments so it’s terrifying either way.

I suspect I’m not alone.

[Karma13612]

42. You are far from alone!

I am 71 and retired, going into my 6th year of living on SS.
I have a minuscule 401K which, until recently, was in a retirement target date fund. It had to weather 2000, 2008 and some more recent stock market stumbles.
After Trump got re-elected, I watched the market get really jittery and kept in mind that it was due for a correction. This according to stories from reputable sources.
I moved my 401K on Nov 15 2024 into a money market account. My pro-Trump financial advisor was skeptical but I persisted. Glad I did.
My principal is fairly safe (unless the dollar gets in trouble), and I get some interest / dividend at the end of each month.

[moonscape]

45. You're smarter than I. I went

1/3 cash (money market) but not before the slide started. Even that was more than my advisor wanted. I wanted 1/2 cash but she talked me out of it & now am feeling paralyzed stuck.

[Karma13612]

46. I keep watching the DJI

Info each day. It still hasn’t made it back to 43,xxx which is where it was the day I had my advisor make the switch.

As the market keeps going up, you will be in it to make some nice gains, I will miss out.

He advised me that keeping it in this US Government fund account, which hasTreasury bonds and cash equivalents, isn’t going to keep up with inflation.

Well, at least I’m sleeping better at night. For the most part.

[Metaphorical]

47. Many foreign investors hold US stocks, including quasi-governmental ones

I suspect that part of the drop in the market comes from those who investors who are quietly moving their portfolios to exchanges outside of the US.

[WarGamer]

23. yeah actually it's not...

The market is run by the Billionaires and for the last few decades the FED Gov't won't ALLOW the markets to fail.

Markets go up and markets go down... I expect a new all time high in the next year because that's what the BILLIONAIRES WANT

The market is NOT an economic indicator directly reflecting "Main Street"

[Doodley]

24. Let's review this conversation in six months.

[WarGamer]

33. sure... or 12 months.

[Scrivener7]

13. Yes. That's a given. But I don't see this as being the end of this nonsense. I think those

who got out will be glad they did, even if they took a loss now.

[Metaphorical]

19. This works once or twice

but usually not much more often than that.

Trump had no choice - Japan was on the verge of a mass sell-off of US Treasures, which would have permanently destroyed any portfolio holdings he and his supporters had, not to mention would have seen his head on a pike before the month was out, if the oligarchs had anything to say about it.

As it is, the market is not done. Today was a dead cat bounce, but China's gearing up to retaliate in a big way, and Trump simply "paused" the tariffs for 90 days. He foolishly burned a lot of political capital this month.

Trump blinked. Hard. What it showed was that he is not King of the World, and that's not going to play well in MAGA-land. He's lost a lot of standing on Wall Street, and I think that there's going to be a quiet whisper campaign in power circles about the fact that maybe Trump is too old and will need to step aside for the good of the country.

[Meowmee]

27. The fact that he had any standing in WS

After murdering millions, his numerous other crimes, multiple bankruptcies, previous crashes, and more says a lot about them imo.

[raccoon]

39. "Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished." Referring to:

I think that there's going to be a quiet whisper campaign in power circles about the fact that maybe Trump is too old and will need to step aside for the good of the country.

[iemanja]

30. Can you explain to me how manipulation can cause markets to drop and rise like this?

It would take a massive conspiracy.

[intrepidity]

36. See what Adam Schiff says

https://democraticunderground.com/100220224986

[iemanja]

37. That's insider trading

To profit himself. It isn’t manipulating the entire market. Those are two very different things.

[LexVegas]

31. That would have been a dumb mustake. nt