MICHEL PIREU: Humour can be an antidote to stress in serious business of trading
While making money is no laughing matter it is now difficult to find amusing commentaries on the market
In 1981 The New Yorker published a cartoon in which a man sat bemused as a news reader tried to explain what was behind the volatility in the markets. It went something like this: “News of lower interest rates sent the stock market up, but then the expectation that these rates would be inflationary sent the market down, until the realisation that lower rates might stimulate the sluggish economy pushed the market back up, before it ultimately went down on fears that an overheated economy would lead to a reimposition of higher interest rates.”
The New Yorker cartoon was not unique, but part of a long tradition of amusing commentaries on the market that seem to have become more difficult to find. It’s certainly not the markets’ fault. They’ve continued to provide unabated displays of strange behaviour that would be difficult to explain. But in today’s relentless efforts to do so one vital ingredient seems to have gone missing — a little humour...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.