In the years climbing out of the great recession, regular investors were leary of buying stock, thrice burned, enduringly shy. But in the last six months, as the S&P 500 index has gone up 13 percent, the masses are back to buying.
France today entered a double-dip recession. It depends on exports to Italy and Spain and they, like many eurozone nations, are still feeling the pinch. Europe's slump is dragging down the global economy.