The Ignorant Investor

I've watched the market run-up since March with surprise. We've got an economy based on consumer spending, and all the data points to consumers spending less in the future. We can't export our way out of a recession because we no longer have an export-driven economy. So where's all the optimism coming from? Fast money, I suppose, that needs to be put somewhere after the Fed drove down interest rates. There's no money to be made loaning money to the government or corporations. Real estate is still gasping for breath. So no other place to go to get return but the stock market and commodities.