We certainly live in not only uncertain times @newageinv ...

"However, given the Federal Reserve and their activity in the open markets, we can never really tell how the market is perceiving the future economic landscape . This intervention or what many call manipulation is a concern as it will not allow for many market participants to adequately position themselves when the turn in the market comes."

... some would say unprecedented times. I personally believe this to be so (although I have no formal training in finance, etc. as you do). And, further, unprecedented in a bad way.

I am somewhat of a student of history. If there has ever been a time in history where the markets were as "manipulated" as they are now, I am unaware of it. This intervention used to result, even as we see today in Venezuela, in catastrophic inflationary spirals resulting in the destruction of the national currencies so affected. But just one country, isolated here and there, at a time ...

We live in time today, though, where there seems to be a concerted effort across the globe to manipulate currencies, primarily through devaluation. All at more or less the same time. On "the surface," this gives the appearance all is well. I don't personally believe this to be so. We, along with all the other sovereign banks, can't print money out of nothing and pretend it has value. We can't continue to have massive debts which only get added to, year after year. I could say a lot more, but ... What is one person to do ...

In times past, enormous upheavals have taken place when something completely unexpected happened, when supposedly "all was well." We'll find out together what the future holds, but it will not surprise me if some unanticipated event in the future leads to catastrophic consequences. Which the combined efforts of all of these global banking systems will be unable to stop ...

Sorry for the "doomsday" forecast, but if you wish you can just shrug it off as my $0.02 and leave it at that ... 😏