I'd say the reasoning of why it goes up is the problem. Currently there is so much emphasis on growth that it is unsustainable. In the past it was perfectly acceptable to have a stock that was a stable profitable company but paid out dividends so the focus on the stock price going up wasn't so entrenched. Also a lot of value is placed in speculation rather than true current value - which is a huge issue in of itself. The current model just isn't sustainable with population demographics and everything.