The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday edition that it has been a volatile year for Canadian equity investors, with the S&P/TSX Composite Index plunging in February, bouncing back to a record high in July and subsequently retreating more than 1,000 points by October. The Globe's Jennifer Dowty writes that the index lost more ground on Monday and has now nearly made a return trip back to the lows set in February. BMO Nesbitt Burns analyst Brian Belski expects more volatility in the weeks ahead. However, the next major move, he thinks, will be higher, driven in part by strong corporate earnings. Despite concerns surrounding trade tensions and rising interest rates, Mr. Belski says Canadian fundamentals are the strongest they have been in several years. He highlights that seasonal trends also provide encouragement: When the S&P/TSX Composite has reported muted returns of between negative 5 per cent and positive 5 per cent during the first three quarters of the year, as is the case this year, it has almost always delivered a positive price return during the final quarter of the year. Mr. Belski says, "I think we are going to see earnings come out in Canada that are going to be very good."