What a difference a quarter makes as the stock market went from a stellar third quarter into a slide that began on Oct. 3 and took most markets into bear market territory.

The Markets 09/30/18 Close 06/30/18 Close 3rd Qtr. Change 09/30/17 Close  12 Mo. Change   YTD Change Dow 26,458   24,271   +9.01%    22,405      +18.09%    +7.04% NASDAQ    8,046    7,510  +7.14%     6,496      +23.86%    +16.56% S&P 500    2,914    2,718   +7.21%     2,519      +15.68%     […]

Other than large tech stocks, the quarter ended with a relative whimper.

We almost forgot about volatility but it returned this quarter, if not with a vengeance, certainly enough to get our attention.

This quarter’s market returns resemble last quarter’s except they are mostly better.

What’s not to like about the markets this quarter? A review of markets and the economy for the third quarter of 2017.

Review of the markets and economy for the second quarter of 2017.

The “Trump trade” that propelled markets after the election on the hope for loser regulations continued for much of the quarter

Brushing off expectations for a market decline if Donald Trump were elected, the markets reversed by the end of the day after the election.

This period got off to a strong start before somewhat fading towards quarter-end but the quarter was positive overall.