S, quickie, re “Take a klook at what short sellers have been saying and compare them against the outcomes. Seems the short sellers have actually been right” –remember there’s the ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’ effect –because so much of capitalism is based on confidence in the future, enormous bear raids can have an effect beyond fundamentals –the raiding itself, the market risk, the second derivatives, can become a ”fundamental”. The best ‘tell’ is in the index’s price/earnings ratio –how much you are willing to pay for a percentage of future earnings. SP500 is reaching some historic lows. This is bear-raiding becoming a market fundamental. It’s pretty serious. There’s a lag, but it affects main street, you can bet yer booty.