''Also, remember, just about everyone here believes in heavy manipulation of this market and has chosen to play in the game nonetheless, so....''

Indeed but where else do you put your money in such times? Term deposits in the bank at 2%, bank stocks, oil, housing?

This is the right sector to be in, you just have to learn to play the game which mean some trading and having insurances (options, Beta ETFs and such). I'm not there yet but I'm learning. Buying and holding doesn't work (nor refering to physical Au and Ag just everything paper) in this HFT casino. Sure it complicates everything but who said that you make money by being lazy and do nothing once we have established a portfolio.

By the way, where has everybody gone.