With the strength in early November, The S&P 500 index is only about 5% away from all-time highs hit at the end of 2021. The bond market is still down about 20% from the highs, with longer-term government bonds down around 40% — the biggest drop ever.

The economy is not slipping into a recession so far, at least not in the USA. However, rates are expected to remain high due to escalating costs in energy and housing. Notably, only short-term bond funds exhibited growth last month, with almost all fund categories sinking. Some riskier bond funds were the exception, benefiting from a robust economy that supports higher default risk bonds.

The stock market is like a fighter in a movie, taking severe punishment in the form of rising rates and saying, "Is that all ya got?" to commentators asking "what is keeping him standing?" before a big comeback.

The economy remains surprisingly buoyant, despite the Federal Reserve's relentless rate increases to temper persistent, high inflation. Given that we're still in a real estate bubble, built upon a foundation of low rates and lax Covid-related fiscal and monetary policy, this is quite a remarkable feat.