The market started the month of October by continuing the comeback from the August lows, but by the second week the strength had begun to fizzle. The real trouble (call it mortgage woes v2) didn’t strike until November 1st so for the month of October the Dow eked out a modest 0.38% return. The S&P 500 fared a little better with a 1.58% return, beaten by a big move – which is looking a lot like a last gasp – by small caps stocks, moving up 4.5% for the month. But all indexes pale in comparison to the Nasdaq as investors continue to rediscover the magic of tech and growth stocks – or at least want to get as far away from bank stocks as they possibly can. The Nasdaq 100 index rocketed by just over 7% for the month, while the Nasdaq as a whole gained 5.84%.

Ultra-hip mutual fund company Thrasher Funds takes aim at the long-coveted young investor market with their just-launched and peculiarly capitalized GendeX Mutual Fund.

According to the firm's website:

Besides a website featuring photos of attractive twenty-somethings and even an original soundtrack, the new no-load fund attempts to woo young investors by offering an initial minimum investment requirement of just $100 with enrollment in an automatic investment plan ($2,500 minimum for non-AIP investments). The fund is on the expensive side with a 1.5% (capped) total expense ratio. There is also a a $2 per month maintenance fee for accounts under $2,500, and a 2% redemption fee shares sold within a year of purchase – a bit high and long for a fund that owns mostly actively traded U.S. stocks...

In Alan Greenspan’s most famous market commentary, he merely hinted at the possibility of irrational investor exuberance. The ensuing far more irrationally exuberant behavior in the stock market was surprisingly ignored by Greenspan, at least publically. His second most famous market commentary centered on the 2005 bond market. Greenspan testified before Congress that the flat yield curve with low long-term interest rates around the globe was a "conundrum".