I didn't mean manipulate in a malicious sense, but that doesn't really matter. You have a good point in that economic forecasts tend to be self-fulfilling, and

I didn't mean manipulate in a malicious sense, but that doesn't really matter. You have a good point in that economic forecasts tend to be self-fulfilling, and that it is unlikely an individual can beat the market just with economic plays. Of course players don't just have traditional economic moves at their disposal, political power translates pretty well into economic manipulation - and that isn't just effective at a large scale.