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Why Midafternoon Brings Out the Bears

Wall Street is facing one of its worst bear markets since World War II

By Jim O'Neill,  Newser User

Posted Oct 16, 2008 12:50 PM CDT

(Newser) – An increasingly familiar Wall Street phenomenon—a three-digit swing in the Dow, usually down, in the final hour of trading—is a direct result of population growth in one species: bears. Margin calls are forcing panicked sell-offs, it's true, but the situation is more complicated than that, experts tell the New York Times.

A major contributor to the gloomy mood is hedge funds, which staggered under the short-selling ban and have continued to struggle as investors jump ship in droves. "I expect we will continue to see significant volatility in our earnings as the world manages through the unfolding crisis," Citadel boy wonder Ken Griffin wrote in a letter to customers this week.  Says a UBS exec: "It’s more like climbing down a ladder, rather than falling down a cliff."

Tthe trading floor at the New York Stock Exchange. Traders have begun to expect a 3pm lurch in the market, up or down, every day.
Tthe trading floor at the New York Stock Exchange. Traders have begun to expect a 3pm lurch in the market, up or down, every day.   (AP Photo/David Karp)
Robert J. Tuccillo Jr. of Bear Wagner Specialists looks at a monitor on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
Robert J. Tuccillo Jr. of Bear Wagner Specialists looks at a monitor on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange.   (AP Photo/David Karp)
Specialist Regis C. Gavin, right, works his post on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
Specialist Regis C. Gavin, right, works his post on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange.   (AP Photo/David Karp)
The financial system is battling one of the worst bear markets since WWII.
The financial system is battling one of the worst bear markets since WWII.   (©Latente ? piove merda e dicono che ? cioccolata)
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