Near-term digestion of market gains is appreciated and hoped for, says CFRA's Sam Stovall

Market Volatility & Seasonal Trends - October is historically the most volatile month, with 33% more volatility than the average of the other 11 months [2] - The market hasn't experienced a pullback of 3% or greater in the S&P 500 since April [4] Index Performance & Technical Analysis - Major indices, including the S&P 500, Russell 2000, S&P developed international, communication services, and tech, were more than one standard deviation above their 200-day moving averages [2] - Most of the mentioned indices, except the Russell 2000, were trading at an RSI above 70, suggesting a potential near-term digestion of gains [3] - The S&P 500 and Russell 2000 matched their all-time highs on the same day, and the S&P developed international index also set an all-time high [4] Small Cap Outlook - Small caps are expected to play catch-up, having set their first new all-time high in four years, while the S&P 500 set 89 new highs in the same period [7] - Small caps are trading at a 35% discount to their 20-year average relative PE on forward estimates [8] - Earnings growth for small caps is projected to be 20%+ in 2026, compared to 13% for the S&P 500 [7] Bull Market & Future Expectations - Historically, when there's an in-concert move to the upside, the market has seen two to three times the average performance over the next 90 days [5] - If the bull market passes its third anniversary on October 12th, the fourth year average gain is 13% with a greater frequency of continuation [9] - The market needs to see an acceleration in earnings expectations to improve from current levels [10]