Political and economic events this week will trigger exceptional volatility in equity markets one way or the other. Direction is anyone’s guess. Now is a good time to hold cash equivalents and to do your homework about what and when to purchase when the investment environment becomes clearer. Selected sectors such as agriculture, gold and energy are approaching a period of seasonal strength. All have declined significantly to attractive levels during the past three weeks, but their technicals have yet to show signs of bottoming. Please be patient.