I was supposed to be in New York City this week, but Sandy the super storm had other ideas. Some writers are suggesting that since the storm has passed, we can all start getting back to business. But of course, some densely-populated areas In New York and New Jersey have been so devastated that normalcy is a long ways off.

Whoa, big fella. That’s what the newly vocal bears had to say to the overly aggressive bulls, as a slew of weak earnings reports put a damper on the party. Last week, it seemed that stocks were determined to rally even without traditional leadership from the Technology sector.

Five years ago this month, the S&P 500 hit all-time high of 1576. It closed Wednesday at 1461. Can the market make a run at that all-time high? Well, the biggest threat at the moment to bullish sentiment is the Fiscal Cliff, but both presidential candidates have a plan for dealing with it, and Congress is unlikely to want to take the fall for defying the new President and sending the country back into recession.

As earnings season gets underway, it has become clear that there is a disconnect between the bull market in stocks and the ability of the companies behind those stocks to generate any revenue growth in a weak global economy. Although U.S. companies have shown eleven consecutive quarters of year-over-year earnings growth, Wall Street analysts have continued to slash forward earnings estimates, and indeed it is reflected in Sabrient’s SectorCast model.

With all the recent central bank actions (e.g., the Fed’s unlimited QE3, the ECB’s Outright Monetary Transactions, and the Bank of Japan’s ongoing initiatives), the expectation of infinite liquidity is now baked into stock prices. So, further movement will have to come from new catalysts, like good old-fashioned earnings growth.

With about six weeks to go until the U.S. Presidential election, we enter the critical month of October in which Romney will be using all means necessary to move the swing states like Ohio, Florida, and Colorado from blue to red. The latest polls show Obama leading in these states, but everyone—especially investors—knows that it can all change during this final stretch of debates, campaigning, interviews, and commercials.

Portfolio managers returning from their summer holidays have apparently liked what they’ve heard from the central banks. Although total volume remains modest, U.S. stock indexes have hit new highs. The S&P 500 finally busted out of its 3-month-long bullish rising channel.

Despite last Friday’s disappointing jobs report, stocks are staying strong. The S&P 500 hit yet another new high on Wednesday—its highest level since January 2008, while the Nasdaq is at a level not seen since toppling from its “irrational exuberance” days of late-2000 as the Internet bubble was bursting. The ECB seems to be getting a workable plan together to support the eurozone banking system and sovereign debt.

Volume remains low as the bulls continue to await Wall Street’s return from late summer vacations...and a firm plan from the central banks. (I think many portfolio managers must be spending their days in the stands at the U.S. Open tennis tournament.) The S&P 500 closed out August with a third straight monthly gain.

As we head into the homestretch of summer and the Labor Day holiday weekend, investors are anxious to see if next week brings elevated volume and the reinforcements to help the bulls break out. However, there’s no doubt that the bears are lurking in the wings to drive stocks down hard, given the right scenario.