Cheap oil: Main Street loves it, Wall Street hates it

What's good for the goose might be good for the gander, but when things go good on Wall Street, Main Street usually struggles.
 
That's been the case since the official end of the Great Recession: The stock market has enjoyed historic gains while the middle class has been deflated by falling wages and a stagnant job market.
 
Then the price of a barrel of oil fell off a cliff, triggering a reversal of fortune CNNMoney calls "payback time." Average Americans are predicted to save hundreds of dollars this year on gasoline as oil prices continue to fall. Meanwhile, over on Wall Street, investors are getting nervous. Big Oil has lost more than $200 billion in recent months, triggering concern the American shale boom will collapse. Bad news for investors in energy stocks and some workers facing layoffs, but overall, economists agree the lower gas prices go, the better it is for the economy overall.

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