Why the Sudden Market Volatility?
Why do we have unprecedented market volatility now? For several reasons: first and foremost, it has to do with consumers leveraging their homes for cash via refinancing as rates fell over the last few years. Everyone who owned a home did this, and many times those consumers rolled into ARMs (adjustable rate mortgages) which are known to become toxic as rates rise. Secondly, the NYSE removed the uptick rule for short selling; why they chose to do this in 2007 remains a mystery to many market watchers. It's like giving a hedge fund another arrow in the quiver to fire…