10 years ago today, the S&P 500 touched its bottom of 666 points. Today the S&P 500 closed at 2,771.45, an increase of 316% in 10 years.

March 6, 2009 was my 23rd birthday after graduating college in 2008. Today I turned 33 and I’m looking back in time. I had some extra lunch money back then, but I lacked knowledge and awareness of the markets. Late 2008 through early 2009, people around me and the CNN type channels were shouting to avoid stocks. An older coworker with a family mentioned with a worried face that he couldn’t look at his 401K because it looked like a “warzone”. I didn’t buy the dip. Years later, I learned those famous quotes “be greedy when others are fearful” and “buy when there is blood in the streets”.

In college I listened to a lot of 70s and 80s heavy metal. Metallica, Iron Maiden, Slayer, Judas Priest…so on. I was no stranger to “diabolical” themes. “Number of the Beast” by Iron Maiden is still one of my favorite songs! So hearing that the market bottomed at 666 on my birthday certainly perked me up! Was it a sign? From whom? Why?

Although I didn’t benefit financially from buying the bottom on my birthday, I benefited later in life from a hunger to understand how stocks move, based largely on this event and missed opportunity. Thus the genesis of my journey into technical analysis. Now I’m empowered with the tools to make successful trades in the market for the rest of my life, instead of getting supernaturally lucky once in a lifetime! -Harry

PS: Anyone have any interesting theories on how or why Mr Market chose that number for the bottom? Technical, fundamental, astrological, “insider” manipulation, or whatever. Interested in hearing any ideas!