Twice as many economists think Mr McCain's plan would be bad or very bad for long-run growth as Mr Obama's.

ECONOMIST: The Economist's poll of economists

So, you have to pay a lot of attention to overbought and oversold oscillators, and these could be very long-term ones that run from one to three to five months, so that you are buying at the bottom of a relative strength cycle instead of buying at the top.

FORBES: A Long and Short for a Whipsaw Market

For one thing, it is very difficult to influence the long-run growth rate.

ECONOMIST: Can you be too rich?

Research by two American economists, Bradford DeLong and Robert Barsky, looked at very long run stockmarket performance in America, from 1900-1990.

ECONOMIST: Watching out for the great bear | The

Japan has had very low interest rates (both short-run and long-run) for a couple of decades, yet the economy has remained stagnant.

FORBES: With The Twist, The Federal Reserve Is Pushing On A String

Because gold has not appreciated at a rate greater than inflation over the very long run, it would suggest that gold is not a buy-and-hold asset.

FORBES: All That Is Gold Does Not Glitter

The threads that run between them are numerous, based on complicated and very sticky long-term relationships.

FORBES: Berkshire Hathaway Gets An "I" For Incomplete On Sokol Investigation