Call it an aftershock

Article Excerpt

Today’s market turmoil is making many investors wonder if we face a replay of the 2007-2009 market plunge. I see some key differences between the two. The 2007-2009 bear market mostly came about because of the collapse of the U.S. housing boom and everything that went with it. The recent downturn is more like an aftershock following the 2007-2009 market earthquake. Governments around the world, but particularly the U.S. government, tried to counteract the 2007-2009 downturn with clumsy, politically tainted spending that did little to help the broad economy. This left the government with a huge budget deficit and vastly higher debt. A key worry now is that the U.S. and European governments will attempt to cut their deficits and debt with tax hikes that hobble the global economy and make things worse. If the U.S. instead tackles its debt and deficit by cutting tax rates and eliminating tax gimmicks and subsidies, the market could turn upward quickly. Voter sentiment…