Now, here we are sounding all giddy in the face of massive global uncertainty. We are firmly in the belief that in every challenge there are opportunities. It follows that during this era we have had major challenges and therefore we have major opportunities as well. What are these opportunities? We have lower prices for gas, lower interest rates, lower housing prices and even cheaper stock prices. We have spoken extensively about the opportunities in real estate that exist in this environment. Lower prices and lower rates have made homes the most affordable in a generation. And don't think that opportunists are not taking notice. There are a record percentage of homes that are being sold to investors with cash. Those who are wealthy take advantage of opportunities because they have the money.

It is not just about real estate. Lower rates will help car sales as well. Unlike houses, cars usually need to be replaced every five to ten years. The slower pace of car sales throughout the recession and slower recovery will mean that there will be massive demand at the back end of this cycle as we move to replace our aging cars. Lower rates and lower gas prices all will end as the latent demand for housing, cars and other big-ticket purchases arise. Will this happen next month or twelve months down the road? We don't know. There are still strong headwinds suppressing consumer behavior and company hiring. However, as we have pointed out there is even a silver lining with regard to the employment situation. Companies have been hoarding cash. Therefore, when the time is right they will have the resources to hire. Any spark of excitement could turn into a fire more quickly than the analysts are predicting. Hopefully we will see at least a glimpse of this spark in the employment statistics being released this week.