Bulls stage a strong, decisive comeback

THE bull market is back from the dead.

Last week, US stocks completed the biggest quarterly gains since 2009 as slapstick reversals in Brexit planning and mixed economic data could not break the upward momentum. This week, the new bullish spirit will be tested by a critical US jobs report and the Brexit crisis in the UK.

Last week's bungee-cord rally followed the biggest monthly loss in a decade, when the broad Standard & Poor's 500 entered bear-market territory on an intra-day basis in December last year.