The major market news of the month was the re-election of Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States of America.

Watch now: Australia has over 200% of GDP in debt - that's more than emerging markets

October proved to be a quieter month, with markets experiencing generally weaker performance as the US election approached.

As the quarter drew to a close, we experienced two major events that influenced market rotation.

Watch now: Federal Reserve’s jumbo cut, the RBA holds, and the state of the US polls post-debate

At Human Financial, we remain of the view that we are in the midst of an economic regime change: from growth into slowdown. Some data points are already signalling a recession.

Watch now: Where we are in the economic cycle, and how interest rates might be affected

Investing is like sailing. Occasionally you’re cruising on a mirrored lake, but mostly it’s choppy.

Watch now: US earnings season, AUD moves, and the outlook for interest rates in Australia

Equity market returns for the second quarter were decidedly mixed across the board.

Watch now: elections in the US, UK and France, Central Bank movements, and Aussie inflation

The Australian consumer is now so tightly squeezed that some households are making dangerous sacrifices to make ends meet.

Watch now: Australian consumer stress and the impact on corporates

Two market forces, emerging simultaneously, confirm our current preference for capital preservation.

Watch now: US corporate earnings, US growth, and inflation re-accelerating

Watch now: US corporate earnings, US growth, and inflation re-accelerating

Why we’re taking a look at emerging market equities.

Watch now: Soft landing vs. no landing

In the last couple of months of 2023, global economic data surprises had been falling into neutral (zero) territory suggesting expectations were no longer being exceeded.

December rounded out a strong 2023 for most financial markets with an additional rally into year end.