The low-volume “dog days of summer” have been anything but uneventful. Rather than a sleeping dog, this summer has been more like a rabid dog—gyrating wildly and scaring the heck out of everyone in its path.

Nothing seems to be strong enough to lift the market out of its doldrums.  Not the shiny corporate earnings announcements from Wal-Mart (WMT) and Home Depot (HD).  Not the exciting merger talks between BHP Billiton (BHP) & Potash (POT) or between Intel (INTC) & McAfee (MFE). Not the slightly improved global economic picture.