After a strong January with returns of more than 5 percent, the S&P 500 struggled to gain in February. Despite a sharp, but brief setback, the index rose for the fourth consecutive month in a row, returning 1.36 percent, and finishing just short of its record close of 1,565, a level that was reached briefly in 2007. Investors were encouraged after Ben Bernanke stood behind the central bank’s low interest rate policy and after a positive revision to fourth-quarter gross domestic product from an earlier estimate showing contraction.

Theoretical and empirical work in finance over the past 50 years has led to an evolution in our understanding of how financial markets work. For instance, 40 years ago, building on the work of Harry Markowitz on portfolio selection and the efficient diversification of investments, William Sharpe and others initially thought there was only one dimension of expected returns in equity markets—the market itself.

The Standard & Poor's 500 Index returned 5.2% in January. The last time U.S. stocks had a better start was in 1997, when the S&P 500 climbed 6.1% and finished the year with a 31% gain. The MSCI All-Country World Index of shares in 45 nations returned 4.6%, including dividends.

Facts: Indexes have no costs, but funds do. Most funds underperform their benchmark (BM) at a minimum by ther expense ratio and some additional amount related to turnover.

Numerous headlines during the past year caused many investors to fear catastrophes that never materialized. For example, a showdown looms in congress over raising the federal debt limit; nonetheless a plunge off the fiscal cliff has been averted for now. And though Europe hardly solved its problems, the euro zone did not break up. As for China’s economy and stock maket , they did not crash.  And as for politics, Obama’s re-election did not sink the stock market.

In regards to stocks, it was a rocky month. The S&P 500 plummeted 4% in the week following the President’s reelection before rebounding on economic optimism. The S&P 500 finished November 0.58% higher even though there has been little progress on talks to prevent spending cuts and tax increases. Some analysts doubt the dire predictions on the tax increase. Year -to-date (Nov 30) total returns on the S&P 500 are a welcome 14.96%.

Lasting 18 months, the recession of 2007-2009 was the longest and deepest U.S. contraction in the post-World War II era.  Though recovery started in the summer of 2009, it is widely considered to be the weakest in the postwar period in terms of both output and employment growth.

Hurricane Sandy forced Wall Street to close on October 29, the anniversary of the 1929 stock market crash. It was the exchanges' first weather related closing in 27 years. The hurricane and its after effects led to a two day shutdown. Yet despite the destruction wrought by the storm, when US Stock markets re-opened, a relatively normal day unfolded. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq composite index both fell less than 1%. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 ended on the final trading day of the month, fractionally higher.

The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq are preparing to open for business as usual on Wednesday following an extraordinary storm that crippled many parts of Manhattan and prompted widespread power failures.

Due to Hurricane Sandy, the NYSE was closed Monday, October 29, 2012. The NYSE and other US stock and bond markets will remain closed Tuesday, October 30.