#1 this is expected. Every quarter there can't be a stimulus package. Also, I think it is good because growth at the level we've seen shouldn't be expected and the Federal Reserve would likely end up having to raise rates if it continued. So lower rates and rational expectations are not a bad thing. I think the market has already taken lower growth next year into account. I'm always more concerned about bad analysts setting wrong expectations and the market punishing the companies for it.

Really? We are not in a 3rd world country and have lived with split governments more than with non-split governments. Fear mongering about doomsday scenarios if one party or another wins anything is just that. Get over it and watch the market be fine tomorrow.

Don't worry, gridlock tends to be good for the market despite what people say.

The issue is Trumps hand seriously weakens if he looses the House. Even his revised NAFTA may not go anywhere and Congress can raise issues with his tariff spree, although a Republican Congress should have done that as well.

Sadly the profession is about creating expectation rather than accuracy. Or another-words, they are supposed to lie in hope of someday making their lies reality. It is rather sad to watch.

China's rise is phenomenal, but even more phenomenal is the US which has held the number one position throughout this period of time and continued to grow. The simple fact is the US benefited with Japan. Then with Korea and Taiwan. Then with China. The repugnant argument that the US was not great and lost to Japan, China, and Asia is ridiculous. The US prospered from these relations and kept their economy humming all the while as they spent more than they had and did not suffer inflation or got calls to curb their spending.

The allegation that the US was not great is an absurd one, especially looking at the US through the lens of the rest of the world. We risk a great deal convincing ourselves that our methodologies of the past are bad. Why? Because it was exactly these methodologies that made us such a tremendous success and got our brands adopted throughout the world which make the highest margins. Be careful of those telling you that you are not great and there is something greener elsewhere. There is not a greener pasture than the US in the world.

There are things they can do to prevent the Federal Reserve from having to take drastic action. Like Jimmy Carter could have done better fiscal policy so as not to cause rampant inflation the Federal reserve had to stomp on. Likewise, Trump needs only stop the trade wars with China so as not to cause inflation and help the Federal Reserve to not have to fight inflationary pressure caused by tariffs. Indeed there are things out of a President's hands that can force the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates. Likewise, there are issues the President must deal with that can cause economic malaise but should do anyways. One example was Bush Senior's cutting the deficit after Reagan ran it up which caused a recession and lost him the Presidency. but as a fiscal conservative, he did the right thing and I appreciate it.

Yes the Federal Reserve's actions are not up to a politician, but they affect what they do and what happens more than people think. Likewise, there are economic factors that are out of their hands as well. So it's a mixed bag as it should be. Otherwise, every politician would have low interest rates and spend like there is no tomorrow and have no taxes. As we all know, this would inevitably come to a horrible ending for everyone. This behavior is already taking place to some degree already which is disconcerting to say the least.

The market will hold. The issue is the Federal Reserve must be more active on downturns not hide in a corner and not say anything. Likewise the President shouldn't disrupt the market with trade war talk when the market is dropping. Do they even pay attention to what's happening? It makes you wonder.

That's because he doesn't think he is taxing Americans, but in reality he is. He's playing a game with China on who can tax their citizens more and China is snickering because Trump is boasting that he can tax Americans more. In the meantime China is making no concessions and Americans are buying even more Chinese goods than before.

Global drivers were one of the the main reasons for weaker earnings. This was mainly due to lower overseas currency.