The stock market has been strong through the first nine months of the year, with a total return of 15.9% as measured by the S&P 500 Index. While this YTD return is impressive enough on its own, it is truly remarkable considering the strength of the market in the prior two years (18.4% in 2020 and 31.5% in 2019 for a total return of more than 80% since the end of 2018) and considering the macro headwinds experienced year to date. In the first three quarters of 2021, the markets have had to digest a panoply of issues…
