Last month was all about confidence: for the consumer, for business, and in the stock market.

Looking back on last month, the first word that comes to mind is wow . . .

As expected, October was a tough month for markets, as uncertainty surrounding the upcoming election and the future of interest rates continued to rattle investors.

September was a volatile month, with markets dropping only to bounce back at month-end. Large companies in the S&P 500 were down slightly, while smaller companies and those outside of the U.S. did well. Plus, as I discuss in this month's Market Thoughts video, there was a larger-than-expected pullback in the service sector, yet consumer confidence reached a nine-year high.

August was a quiet but good month, as indices and the stock market were up in the U.S. and abroad. Hiring was strong, consumer confidence surprised to the upside, and consumer spending continued to grow. Still, as I discuss in this month's Market Thoughts video, the big questions concern volatility: Why is volatility so low, and is it going to continue?

Both domestic and international markets had a strong month of July. Improving fundamentals, including job growth and consumer spending, helped boost investor confidence. Still, as I discuss in this month's Market Thoughts video, economic growth in the first half of the year was disappointing, mainly due to lower levels of spending in the business sector.

June was busy, particularly near month-end. The news that Britain had voted to leave the European Union came as a shock and sent markets tumbling. But then a funny thing happened: the fear dissipated, and as investors started looking at the fundamentals, the markets began to recover. 

After an early pullback, improving economic news helped fuel a rally in U.S. indices at the end of May. While manufacturing remains a concern, improvements in consumer spending and housing have boosted confidence, prompting the Fed to suggest that the economy has normalized. Internationally, political risks continue to be a factor. And any bad news could well rattle the markets. What can we expect moving forward?

Following a strong March, markets suffered a pullback in early April after analysts cut forecasts for first-quarter earnings growth and worries about the economy resurfaced. Though markets recovered, we were left wondering: was the pullback a sign of things to come, or will we see markets continue to move along?

In my latest Market Thoughts video, I discuss the markets and economy in March. After two bad months, everything appears to be moving in the right direction, as markets were up about 7 percent across the board, and even foreign markets fared well.