market despair

Despair. The market is quiet.

A supplier called me up a short while ago. This supplier asked me why I have not called them in a while for quotes and equipment.

I did not really have an answer other than to say I have not really needed anything recently. It has been pretty quiet.

My supplier responds with a sigh and says, "by you too?". I say "What do you mean? is it quiet in general? Your other customers are also quiet now?" Suppliers sighs again and says yes.

I ask what is going on? why is it quiet by everybody? What's happening in the marketplace?

The answer surprised me a bit. Supplier says, "If we had a normal country with a normal prime minister who knew what he was doing, the market would be better. But we have a screwed up prime minister who just causes trouble so the market is bad. People can't do business because they don't know what is happening."

And this is from someone who is (at least) not a right wing or left wing fanatic. I am not familiar with this persons exact politics, but he is a secular, albeit traditional, Jew and probably votes somewhere in the middl3e of the political landscape, possibly even for Kadima in the last elections.

It is not just the people on the extremes of the left and right who are disenfranchised with what is happening, between all the corruption and failed leadership. The folks in the center feel the same way.