I LOVE SUGAR! I have tasted it, and it is yummy!

Aided by a dip in oil prices and a reasonably smooth conclusion to the presidential election, the stock market (S&P 500) zipped 8% to the upside in just four weeks, bailing out a heretofore uninspiring year for stocks. This surge from late October almost immediately rekindled enthusiasm among investors previously worried about deficits, rising interest rates, global terrorism, the falling dollar, high valuations, slow jobs growth, consumer debt burdens… well, you probably know the litany by heart. But all it took was a couple of “up days” and all of a sudden the sky is blue and the future is sunny!? What happened to the problems and the risks? I was feeling confused.