The Nikkei stock average has been fluctuating wildly. On August 5th, it crashed 4,451 yen. On August 6th, it reversed course and rose by around 3,200 yen. If you think of stocks as simply a tool for making money, it’s easier to make money when prices fluctuate wildly. This is because buying stocks when they crash and selling them when they go back up will increase your profit margin. Experts cite concerns about the US economy and the Bank of Japan’s interest rate hike as factors, but it could also be that speculators looking to make a killing are at work in the shadows. As I don’t trade stocks, it doesn’t have a direct effect on me, but it’s eerie, as if I’m enveloped in a dark mist. (Kei)

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