Bullish Blog

AP - The last trading day of 2008 on Wall Street provided a merciful end to an abysmal year — the worst since the Great Depression, wiping out $6.9 trillion in stock market wealth. Six years of stock gains disappeared as the economy crumbled and markets crashed around the globe, shaking the confidence of professional and individual investors alike.

Investor’s Business Daily - Bruce Meyer is as savvy as individual investors get. He worked as a specialist on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange for 25 years until 2005. His father before him was a specialist there too.

AP - Stocks that moved substantially or traded heavily Wednesday on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq Stock Market:

The Dow’s 34% loss in 2008 is its third-biggest ever and worst since the Great Depression, as trillions of dollars of wealth disappear and panic nearly wrecks the global financial system. While there are cautious hopes for a rebound in 2009, investors face big headwinds.

AP - Mexico’s IPC stock index slipped 0.18 percent to 22,380 Wednesday as the market closed a dismal year amid the global financial crisis.

Reuters - The New York Stock Exchange said it determined that trading in the common stock of yellow pages directories publisher R.H. Donnelley Corp should be suspended, effective January 2.

Reuters - Accused swindler Bernard Madoff will send U.S. regulators a list of his assets, liabilities and property by Wednesday’s court-ordered deadline, his lawyer said.

Reuters - The internal watchdog at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission will testify Monday at a hearing by U.S. lawmakers who want to know how the investor protection agency failed to detect the alleged $50 billion fraud by Wall Street financier Bernard Madoff.

AFP - Global stock markets Wednesday closed out a year suffering the worst losses since the Great Depression, with investors eyeing a possible recovery but cautious in the face of a deep economic crisis.

AP - Shares of grocery and drug retailers fell in 2008, but not as much as the broader market, as shoppers spent what little money they did have on staples like groceries and prescriptions.