By the way,
Rob Neyer, that's "Win Probability Added." You're probably having trouble remembering it because the name was coined by an old BBBA guy (
Doug Drinen). After all, you did your best to block us out of your mind back in the day,
n'est-ce pas?
Anyway...one needs more than bile to have struggled through today's NYSE session, which (as the chart capture to the left demonstrates) was as volatile as any roller-coaster baseball game. The forces of optimism (some would say these folk are delusional...) were pitted against the forces of destructive free-market tooth decay (some would say these folks are long overdue for a rabies shot...) in an epic struggle.
This is probably the best possible abstract representation of the clash between these competing impulses as they currently square off in our meta-polarized society. Today the good guys won, but the battle (which is, of course, much more complex than a one-day NYSE trading chart) is going to be with us for a long time to come.
But do take a moment to note that said chart bears an uncanny resemblance to the WPA chart (yes, yes, the "inverted" WPA chart) for Game 7 of the 1960 World Series.
Talk about a furry freak o'nature...
