I haven't understood how any economy can work without some form of manufacturing. I don't see how agriculture and service alone make for a strong economy.

I never got into reading business news and I have no foundational knowledge of the larger financial systems.

What I'm hoping I'll learn when I watch those shows is something to explain that. What I *fear* is that it's *all* been manipulation and fraud.

They don't address the DJIA so they might not be what you're looking for. They're about the conditions that gave rise to the sub-prime mortgage market (the first link) and the mechanics of the system that caused the Fed & Treasury to suddenly panic (the second link).

I have nothing in the market and I'm so very happy for that. The stock market isn't an "investment", it's a gamble and I never gamble what I can't afford to lose.

How are you saving for retirement? Are you buying bonds and T-bills? Is there something else out there?