FOR THREE DAYS, A LONG WEEKEND, THEY DID THEIR BEST TO SCARE EACH AND EVERY INVESTOR

For some reason, Good Friday, a really authentic religious holy day, is also a stock market holiday. The mail is delivered, banks are open, retailers do a brisk business, even The Price Is Right is still playing games. But no trading on US stock markets.

But the March jobs report came out as scheduled on Friday and it was a Bad One.  The figures compiled by some faceless government office were accepted as gospel even though the release came with revisions for the prior two months;  and we can expect the March report to be revised in April.

Then, in an activity confounding most investors, the stock market futures began to trade and the direction was vividly downwards.  So, all through the long weekend online commentators and the tv people told us how Monday would be a really bad day for the markets, especially at the open.

And sure enough it was bad at the open.  Enough to make many retail investors, at least the ones who don't receive reliable advice, sell their stocks at bargain prices.  And after some ran a fire sale, here is what happened: