Bear attacks WV brokers NORTH American stock markets have taken investors on a frightening roller coast- er ride in the last few weeks. Everyone has been talking about it, from housewi ives tO bankers. Whether we're in the midst of a short bear market (Canadian markets are off 30% since April) or we're at the beginning of a jong, drawn out bear market is anyone’s guess. And everyone is guess- ing. I thought it would be interesting to see how people have been affected by volatility in the markets lately, so I talked to a sampling of folks trom around town. Here's what I found: people are very nervous about their money, and almost everyone has already felt the ripple effect of a 20% loss in North American markets in the last four weeks. Dry cleaners have been especially busy. A friend of mine who is a dry cleaner here on the North Shore tells me that he has had several West Van brokers and mutual fund salesmen bring in their suits to be cleaned. Nothing strange in that, except that only the pants have been coming in. He also indicated thar the cleaning task itself, on recent suits, has been a rather unpleasant challenge. Downtown bars have been hopping as a result of the stock market action. A friend who frequents a usually quiet pub reported to me that there are now lineups of men in expensive looking gray suits waiting to get in at the end of the work day. ’ At one particular pub last week where free snacks were being offered there was a nasty dispute in the lineup. Tempers flared when one broker tried to butt in front of another. I guess he was really hungry. Some of the girls that go to my evening fitness class are married. to stockbrokers. Two of them confided to me dur- ing the Class that their hus- bands, who usually come home from work at 1:15 sharp in the afternoon, have not been coming home from work until after midnight Jtely, and when they do, they smell of booze. Another onc told me tear- fully that she feared her hus- band was having an affair because, ¢ came home three and Bitte her al about them being at the dry ‘| Mark A. >] Laoun a] Investment Executive ScotiaMcLeod Ae deettcsesdyps for bale 3rd floor 1555 — Marne Drive. W. Van. , 913-7027 This ad has been co sponsored in part by Petites Management Ltd. cleaners. T happen to know a tew stockbrokers miyself (hard not re the guys who have been driving around in the hundred-thousand-dollar BMWs and Porsches with per- sonalized license plates that say things like BROKER, TSE UP, and MONEY. Of course, these licence plates are rapidly disappearing, much like the brokers themselves, who are wisely trying to soften their once flashy profiles around town. I spoke to one broker at the golf course the other day, but I couldn’ get an intelli- gent word out of him. He kept clutching his crotch and whistling something that sounded like Taps. Twice his mathex wife had to wipe the foam from his mouth, and when our conversation was over she led him away by the hand like you would a toddler. I heard he couldn't sink a putt all day. Real estate agents have felt the nipple effect of the stock market upheaval too. An old high school friend who is a realtor here in West Van told me that she was having a garage sale this weekend to raise some cash to pay off her hairdresser and buy a pair of new shoes. “Times are going to get tough,” she warns. Another real estate agent I know claims that a lot of the agents who made a ton of moncy in the past few yea are really sucking wind this year because the big-shot stock brokers and promoters have stopped buying million- dollar houses. (What a relief, I think to myself. Maybe soon we'll be able to afford to live here.) My friend Duncan, who buys and sells used cars, is on cloud nine. Seems he bought several barely used luxury cars from teal estate developers a couple weeks back for what he called next to nothing. He has already sold three of the cars ata fat profit to some lucky currency traders who hit it big when the Canadian dollar started to rebound last week. A popuiar psychologist I know told me thar she has had more calls in the last few weeks from new patients than she did in alf of 1997, and she says the big problem is insecu- nity about the financial mar- kets. She also mentioned that she is soo mad at her stuckbro- ker that she is going to refuse to have him as a patient any- more. He is simply demanding too much of her time, calling her several times 3 day and insisting she see him. Tu round off my research I called my own stockbroker this week. *How’s the market, John?” T asked. “Up and down, up and down,” he babbled. “Oh, and honey, would you mind pick- ing up my pants at the dry cleaners? I"ve got to go see Duncan about my car.” fy broker's had a tough few weeks. eR eer ee Te eg Recycling packaging problem Dear Editor: I refer to the small article thet appeared in the August 23 North Shore News enti- tled “Goal sct to cut garbage load by half.” Are you serious? Is this really a message from the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD)? It seems to me that if the GVRD is serious about reducing garbage, it should put its efforts into secking legislation demanding, manu- facturers use less product packaging. That alone would reduce the amount of garbage gener- ated. Asking consumers to recy- cle toothbrushes while ignor- umm oan ee ie 2 1:3 ‘pervicue,. ou, Lube & Fitter fay warranty, 21 pt. Safety check, 15 minutes - FAST! ‘approved -" inciudes up to 5 litres of 10w30 Quakerstate [ 4362 Marine Drive 980-915 Mon-Set 8:00arn-6:00ern, Sun 800ern-5:00pm Exqparas Sept 25/98 op CS Oe) ee ee Cee eee er es ee ee ee ee Bring in any used or broken watch & we will trade it in towards the purchase of a new one! Offer valid until September 30/98 DIAMOND SW” GOLDMAN JEWELLERS #730-2002 Park Royal North 926-3738 ing the more significant con- tributors to garbage is a stan- dard Band-Aid approach that keeps recycling the problern. L. M. McDonell North Vancouver 5 Helping I Grieve Friday, September 11, 1998 — North Shore News — 7 Westwood Tutoring To communicate well loday students seek the leading adge: globel ideas, faster research and betier comprehension. 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