None of the potential black swan events like the Hong Kong riots, the Brexit from the EU, the US-China trade dispute, the US impeachment inquiry, the Saudi Arabian oil refinery attack and the global industrial slowdown materialized to topple the US equity market in the notoriously scary month of October. Despite massively high debt levels, negative interest rates and high valuations, strong US consumer spending, supported by low unemployment and high consumer confidence, continues to buoy the US economy and the US stock market.
With the growing prospect of a "Phase One" US-China trade agreement,