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Stocks rallied on trade optimism late in the week, erasing the S&P 500 Index’s 2% loss through Tuesday

Continued economic growth and Fed rate cuts helped support stocks amid ongoing trade uncertainty.

Economic data improves in September.

Geopolitical matters1 have complicated the tug-of-war between fiscal2 and monetary3 policies and contributed to investor concerns about increased policy uncertainty. Policy uncertainty will likely persist, but we think financial markets will climb this wall of worry.

Stocks fell for a third straight week as investors gauged the health of the U.S. economy and its impact on future monetary policy.

October historically has been a volatile month but also the third strongest month of the year for the S&P 500 Index

Stocks searched for direction this week as investors digested news of political tensions and signs of trade progress.

The U.S. economy continues to perform well when compared to the rest of the developed world, and is still exhibiting growth near its long-term trend. The outlook in other developed economies is not quite as bright, however, as unconventional and aggressive policy decisions from global central banks are becoming increasingly ineffective.

Since we began highlighting the return of fiscal leadership as a primary driver for economic and market activity nearly two years ago, we’ve seen the return to central bank dominance, particularly by the U.S. Federal Reserve. This has significant implications for global markets.

Large cap equities outperformed small caps, while the growth style of investing modestly outpaced value