Thank Putin for the Strength in the Stock Market and the Dollar

Vlad the new czar (proof positive that it was Russian tradition and not Marx that was to blame for Soviet behavior) has asserted Russian authority in Georgia, and placed a big question mark on the future flag that will fly over Ossetia and Abkhazia. The military intervention/invasion has rattled investors and led to capital flight into the U.S., resulting in strength in the U.S. stock market and the dollar, despite economic news that should have resulted in another of those big sell-offs.