Enjoy the Silence… but Be Ready for the Bounce Hello, Reader. It’s been a short and quiet week on Wall Street with a welcome break from the volatility the market has seen for much of the summer. The market traditionally cools down around now, making September one of the least profitable months of the year. But as always, we look for the dips and are ready for a bounce back to support in the market, which means taking more profits. The Power of the Dollar One of the keys behind our neutral-bullish stance is the strength of the dollar, which hasn’t been this strong since the era of the dot-com boom. (Don’t worry – we don’t see another of those happening.) A rising dollar is a problem for exporters, but it’s a boon for importers and attracts foreign investors. International traders now have an extra incentive to invest in the U.S. stock market. This is good for service businesses and retailers because it takes fewer stronger dollars to buy imported goods. Because of the mostly consumption-based U.S. economy, cheaper imports should help lower inflation levels and increase spending.