The Past Decade in 50 Headlines

The Past Decade in 50 Headlines
By Morgan Housel
December 24, 2009 Comments (16)
(From The Motley Fool. http://www.fool.com/)

It all started with a panic …

Y2K Ripple Effect Could Spell Doom for Many Businesses
Business Wire, Dec. 28, 1999

That never happened …

First Business Day of Y2K Uneventful
The Associated Press, Jan. 3, 2000

So the party continued …

Analysts Agree Market Has Only Witnessed Start of Internet fever; No End in Sight for Tech Craze
Morning Post, March 26, 2000

The crazies showed up …

Dow 36,000? Why Stop There? Some Wall Street Pundits Say There's No Limit to How High it Can Go
National Post, Oct. 2, 1999

Lured by riches …

Bill Gates Net Worth Draws Close to $100 Billion
USA TODAY, Jan. 21, 1999

Drowning in denial …

The Stock Market Bubble That Is Likely To Go On Floating
Scotland on Sunday, March 26, 2000

Until sanity prevailed …

Bubble Bound to Burst When the Cash Fails to Materialize
Guardian, March 24, 2000

And the fun ended …

Bubble Bursts: Iron Laws of the Market Bring a Sharp Dose of Reality
Guardian, Dec. 30, 2000

Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN). Cisco (Nasdaq: CSCO). Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT). Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO) shares crash. Hangover ensues.

But just when we thought it was over …

Two Planes Crash into World Trade Center in Apparent Terrorist Attack; Tower Collapses to the Ground
AP Newswire, Sept. 11, 2001

Markets panicked …

Wall Street to Remain Closed in Wake of Terrorist Strikes
The Times, Sept. 13, 2001

Adding insult to injury …

•Enron Admits to Overstating Profits by About $600 Million
New York Times, Nov. 9, 2001
•WorldCom Says Nearly $3.8 Billion Hidden in its Books
The Associated Press, June, 2002
•Adelphia Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection After Scandal
The Associated Press, June 25, 2002
How'd that all happen?

Enron Was Standard for Deregulation
Copley News Service, Nov. 29, 2001

Oh, that's right.

By now, investors are disillusioned with stock market shenanigans. But no need to worry …

Cure for a Burst Bubble: Another Bubble
National Post, Dec. 20, 2001

O ... K. Where?

New Home Buyers, Don't Fret!; Economy Slows, But Home Sales Are Hot
Toronto Sun, Nov. 2, 2001

Hmm. Tell me more …

Weathering Recession, Housing Market Continues to Roar
The Associated Press, March, 2002

I'm listening …

Fannie Mae Sees No End to Housing Boom
United Press International, Jan. 22, 2002

Sold! And it kept going …

Housing Market Surges to Record Levels
World Markets Analysis, Aug. 27, 2002

and going …

More People are Looking to Remortgage Their Property
Money Management, July 1, 2003

and going …

Home Construction Soars to 17-Year High; October Figures Defy Predictions of Decline
Washington Post, Nov. 20, 2003

And it can't be stopped …

Median Home Price Up 9.1%
USA TODAY, Aug. 27, 2004

Creating all sorts of wealth …

Buyers Turn Rising Equity into Major Spending Tool
Washington Times, Sept. 27, 2005

Fueling all sorts of fun …

'Tis the Season to go Shopping: 5% Surge Expected
FP Investing, Dec. 7, 2005

Until people got nervous …

Steep Rise in Prices for Homes Adds to Worry About a Bubble
New York Times, May 25, 2005

Even this guy spoke up:

Greenspan Is Concerned About 'Froth' In Housing
New York Times, May 21, 2005

(He's extremely observant.)

Home Sales Drop 3rd Month in Row; Market Cooling Off Faster Than Expected
USA TODAY, Jan. 26, 2006

The dam breaks …

Desperation Sets In While Homes Sit for Months With No Offers
USA TODAY, Oct. 26, 2006

And some people asked …

When Does A Housing Slump Become A Bust?
New York Times, June 17, 2007

Maybe when this happens:

Rising Defaults Shut Down Two Hedge Funds; Bernanke Says Subprime Fallout Will Hurt Economy
Washington Times, July 19, 2007

Yeah, that's when you panic …

Mortgage-Backed Securities Spread U.S. Subprime Woes Abroad
USA TODAY, Aug. 14, 2007

And panic we did …

1907 Panic: Subprime Fallout Draws Comparisons
The Gazette, Aug. 10, 2007

Until Ben Bernanke flew in …

Fed Cuts Interest Rate Half Point, Stock Markets Soar
New York Times, Sept. 19, 2007

And before long …

Dow Soars Past 14,000 To Register New All-Time High
The Frontrunner, Oct. 2, 2007

Sweet! Crisis averted.

Cayne Out As Bear Stearns CEO
The Associated Press, Jan. 9, 2008

What … the … heck is going on here?

Bear Stearns Responds to Rumors, Says Balance Sheet, Liquidity, Capital Remain Strong
The Associated Press, March 10, 2008

Phew. Had me worried there.

Shares of Bear Stearns Plummet on Fears Bank is in Danger of Insolvency
The Associated Press, March 13, 2008

Uh … oh …

Bear Stearns Bailed Out by Fed, JPMorgan
The Associated Press, March 14, 2008

Thank you, JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM). Now carry on like nothing happened.

U.S. Stock Rally Fuels Dow Close Above 13,000
MarketWatch, May 1, 2008

See how easy that is?

Taxpayers Take on Trillions in Risk; Fannie, Freddie Placed Under Conservatorship
USA TODAY, Sept. 8, 2008

Crap. Time to stock up on toilet paper …

•Wall Street Chaos: Lehman Bankrupt, Bank of America Buys Merrill
AP Newswire, Sept 15, 2008
•Government Bails Out AIG with $85 Billion Loan
The Associated Press, Sept. 17, 2008
Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) and Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) prepare to get flushed, when …

Bush Asks Congress for $700 Billion for Bailout
The Associated Press, Sept. 20, 2008

Panic ensues …

U.S. Stocks Slide, Dow Plunges 777 Points
MarketWatch, Sept. 29, 2008

Neurosis ensues …

Dow Ends Up Almost 900 points
The Associated Press, Oct. 29, 2008

We all give up …

Investors Throw In the Towel
Slate Magazine, March 3, 2009

Before long, hope returns …

Stocks Move Higher as Industrial Production Rises
The Associated Press, Sept. 16, 2009

Barriers are reclaimed …

Dow Crosses 10,000
MarketWatch, Oct. 14, 2009

And we end this story …

Dow Jones Industrial Average, Dec. 23, 2009: 10,466

About where we started …

Dow crosses 10,000
Associated Press Worldstream, March 16, 1999

Here's to a more prosperous decade. Happy Holidays, Fools.




Fool contributor Morgan Housel doesn't own shares in any of the companies mentioned in this article. Amazon.com is a Motley Fool Stock Advisor selection. Microsoft is a Motley Fool Inside Value pick. Motley Fool Options has recommended diagonal calls on Microsoft. The Fool has a disclosure policy.