Congress was the source of so much disappointment during 2011. Legislators reached the pinnacle of ineptitude in early August, when they failed to meet a deadline to raise the debt ceiling. It happened one day before a monthly jobs report was expected, which made investors even more nervous. The number of economists forecasting a double-dip recession suddenly spiked, and the August 4 plunge was declared the worst trading day since the 2008 financial crisis.
The worst, that is, until the following Monday.
There's good reason to be both optimistic and cautious as we ring in the New Year.
