[2008-05-02]  Al Qaeda's Bear Market
Over the past few months, there has been a steady stream of articles undermining Al Qaeda’s brand image, as other Islamic militants challenge its violent methods and central role in 911. From Egypt to Iran to Afghanistan, Al Qaeda’s circle of supporters appears to be diminishing while the numbers of its detractors continues to grow.

It is worth asking the question then…what happens to Al Qaeda when the perception of the terror group turns from fear to weakness to ridicule?

Al Qaeda relies on the perception of fear it gained mainly through the surprise attacks on 911 inorder to recruit new followers and inspire fear in its enemies. Having been succesful thus far, countless billions are being spent on hundreds of thousands of security related man-hours and force protection measures worldwide to ward off the possibility of another Al Qaeda spectacular.

Therefore, Al Qaeda’s brand, like any companies brand image, is important to the value of its stock and when its brand takes a hit the stock begins to fall.


Continuing the stock analogy, if the trend seen below is an indication of their stock performance--Al Qaeda is in a Bear market.



Source: © 2007 International Analyst Network.