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The U.S.-China trade dispute has carried on for about eight months, with no agreement in sight. To date, the U.S. has imposed tariffs on about $250 billion in Chinese goods, representing about half of what the U.S. imported from China last year. In turn, China has retaliated with its own tariffs on $100 billion in imported U.S. goods. So far, the global economy has avoided a trade breakdown, as exports and imports are growing steadily for both the U.S. and China. However, small cracks are forming in the global economy due to the indirect impact of trade tensions, and leading trends show a prolonged dispute or more severe tariffs could exacerbate these effects.

Every year on Veterans Day, we take time to think about the sacrifices made by those in uniform. We say, “Thank you for your service,” to any veterans we know. Perhaps we attend a local parade or event that celebrates veterans.

The quote above is better known today as “It is always the darkest just before dawn.” Well, October was one of the worst months we’ve seen in years for stocks, but we see a much brighter future. The next two months could have a nice year-end rally thanks to historically bullish seasonal patterns during midterm years and the extreme buying strength we saw last week.

It was another tough week for stocks. The S&P 500 Index was down just shy of 4% last week, briefly dipping intraday into correction territory (more than 10% off the all-time high) and putting October on track to be the weakest month for stocks since the financial crisis. Concern about an earnings slowdown and a potentially overly aggressive Federal Reserve (Fed) seemed to be the primary drivers, but market participants saw little, if anything, encouraging out of the other “bricks” in the stock market’s wall of worry.

I present you with two quotes: “Democracy is the form of government in which the free are rulers.” – Aristotle “I tell you, all politics is applesauce.” – Will Rogers Whichever quote best describes your attitude about the upcoming election, the fact remains that on November 6, we have an opportunity to perform our civic duty as citizens of a free country. So whatever party you belong to or opinions you hold, I hope you’re able to carve out time to vote!

It’s October, which means autumn is upon us. But this year, it’s not just the leaves that are falling. The markets have been falling, too. On Wednesday, October 10, the Dow slid more than 800 points. The S&P 500 fell for the fifth straight day. . .