On Tuesday, the Dow closed at an all-time high. It's up 120 percent from its March 6, 2009 lows.
Ever since the low, experts from both the bearish and bullish camps have presented their arguments for why investors should sell.
Sure, there have been dips along the way. Ultimately, though, the trend has been up.
To be clear, none of the people we identify here are idiots, and we don't want to give that impression.
But this epic bull market run has certainly made a lot of people look and feel like idiots.
March 2009: John Mauldin say bulls will get their hopes crushed over the summer
“So, I know a lot of you have stayed in the market the whole time it has been falling and are now wondering what to do. If you have a ten-year time horizon you probably can buy here and do OK. But I wouldn't. I think this market is going to have more problems as we confront the real possibility that we will get some really poor earnings for the first and second quarters. The economy is simply weak, and that weakness is hitting more and more companies. From exporting companies to the big international firms, a global slowdown is hitting almost everyone. Even hospitals are being challenged. We could see a real bear market rally lure investors back in, just to crush their hopes this summer.”
—John Maudlin on March 14th, 2009
Dow Then: 7,223
Dow Today: 14,254
March 2009: Nouriel Roubini predicts new lows in the next 18 months
"During the last recession, the economy bottomed out in November 2001 and GDP growth was robust in 2002 but the U.S. stock markets kept on falling all the way through the first quarter of 2003. So not only were the stock markets not 'forward looking,' they actually lagged the economic recovery by 18 months--rather than lead it by six to nine months.
"A similar scenario could occur this time around. The real economy sort of exits the recession some time in 2010, but deflationary forces keep a lid on the pricing power of corporations and their profit margins, and growth is so weak and anemic, that U.S. equities may--as in 2002--move sideways for most of 2010. A number of false bull starts would occur as economic recovery signals remain mixed.
"Thus, most likely, we can brace ourselves for new lows on U.S. and global equities in the next 12 to 18 months."
—Nouriel Roubini on March 12, 2009
Dow: 7,170
Dow Today: 14,254
May 2009: Andy Kessler says "this sure smells to me like a sucker's rally"
"Is this the dawn of a new era? Are we off to the races again? I'm not so sure. Only a fool predicts the stock market, so here I go. This sure smells to me like a sucker's rally. That's because there aren't sustainable, fundamental reasons for the market's continued rise.
—Andy Kessler on May 12, 2009
Dow: 8,469
Dow Today: 14,254
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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