All good things accrue to the thin.

When it goes down, he would have to take the blame. Wait. If it goes up for a year, then take credit, even if he does not deserve credit.

This is silly. The New York Stock Exchange is not the guiding force in the economy, but a speculative and unstable reflection of hysteria, rumor, guesswork, and momentary whim. As an economic indicator, it is only usefulas a longer-run measure, when looked at in concert with other indicators, like unemployment, inflation/deflation, Gross Domestic Product, durable goods purchases, money supply changes, industrial production, and a number of others.

What is meaningful is what Obama will do to restructure the economy, which he hasn't even begun to do yet. We once had a top income tax bracket of 90%, which Nelson Rockefeller, among others paid without complaint. We once had a relatively healthy regulatory apparatus at the Federal level. We once had a favorable trade balance. We once had a relatively equal distribution of wealth and income. We have none of those things now, so the idea of Obama taking "credit" for a meaningless fluctuation in a whimsical measure of economic well-being over a few days is what I call chatter masturbation.

We are teetering on collapse of our economic system, and it is in the face of a potential global warming effect that may make us extinct. Anybody taking "credit" for anything in this context, and anybody making money from musing about such "credit" are examples of the escapism and focus on disracting side "issues" that keep us from looking at what really matters.

due to all of the positive, deliberate, steps he has taken that directly affect the market

Lets see... Obama (or one of his lackeys) speechifies and the market tanks. The obvious solution is for OBAMA TO SHUT UP! If anything, his relative lack of stating that death is eminent unless we pass his next atrocity is probably actually having a positive effect.

Ah yes. The politics of hope over (ACHTUNG! Ve vill NEVER rrrecover) fear.

The rally around news that Citigroup turned a modest profit (after huge government infustions of cash) and other companies wouldn't need as much bailout money as they thought they would is hardly news to pop the champagne. Obama's optimism seems more like a psychological boost after his critics blasted him for doomsaying earlier.

The stimulus will take far longer to really see the effect than the fickle nature of the market which varies from day to day. It's just as silly to praise Obama for the rise just as it was to blame him for the downturn which has been occuring since last year.

The president doesn't have it easy. If you're frank about our problems, you're accused of spreading "malaise." If you argue for hope, you're guilty of being an out-of-touch cheerleader. It's a tough balancing act, but I'm still not jaded enough to deny that you can't go too wrong being honest. Especially now, as Americans are starving for the truth. They've had a decade surrounded by the fake -- housing prices obscenely inflated by wishful thinking, vertiginous stock prices that defied gravity (and those are just the lies on the economic front.) The vast majority of us just want to know what's going on. If the economy is in shambles, tell us it's in shambles. If it's improving, tell us that, too. Tell us how we can help (and the answer isn't go shopping!)

I hope the Obama team was genuinely excited about this week's news. But I agree they should restrain their optimism. The rosiest predictions have us drooping until the end of the year, and it's only March. And there's a looooong lag between when the numbers start looking good and the people feel it. The recession of the early 90s ended in March of '91, but the economy was a major reason the first George Bush lost his reelection bid in '92 and the Democrats lost control of Congress in '94. Obama doesn't want to be the one cheering and waving the pom-poms while the football team is collapsing on the field.

the stock market, yes wall street. you know that place in new york. that's where millions of americans have their 401k's, pensions, and savings. a place where trillions just vanished over night. the place where when secretary geithner opens his mouth it tanks. the stimulus passes it tanks. how can you deny the markets importance. wall street is main street. the president needs to pay attention to the market, unless the next few trillion he plans on shoving down our throats is to restore money lost by americans on wall street. the market and markets will recover despite the president.

you were out of your league on hardball this evening(3/13). i never knew you were an expert on the economy. the president obama will own what he inherited soon. when will you allow that to happen. you can't keep making excuses for the president, or can you? watching you on hardball is getting really painful.

But the next time the markets slump, and the various pundits try to blame Obama for its entirety, he can smile and say "Well, if I'm responsible for today's 200-pt slide, then am I also responsible for last week's 500-point rally?"

Once again, at the slightest sign that Obama and team are not acting exactly as you think they should at a given moment, you dissolve into worry and dire predictions.

Have you learned nothing yet?

They've been talking in frank (and realistic) terms about the difficult state we are in since taking office, while attempting to plot a steady course with hysteria happening all over the place, and especially in the stock market. So now after a few days of relative calm and positive news, it is an awful, awful and hugely risky thing to make optimistic comments about that? Are they saying the mess is over? No. Are they saying they fixed everything? No. Cautious optimism is all, and what's wrong with that?

Everyone is on misery overload. It's nice to have a small break in the clouds. They know full well that there is a long road ahead. Please step away from your daily reactionary pattern and attempt to take a calmer look at the big picture without living in constant fear of doom and disaster, or even, worse..CRITICISM! Gasp!