Bull and bears in tug-of-war amid threats of war

US stocks rose modestly last week after the Federal Reserve reopened the door to a rate hike in December and the gains will likely build this week, barring a bolt from the blue in North Korea or in economic data.

There are signs that one of the longest bull markets in the history of the US stock market is on its last legs, however.

"The Standard & Poor's 500 just advanced 260 per cent from the March 2009 lows, which makes this the second strongest bull market since World War II," said Ryan Detrick, senior investment strategist at brokerage LPL Financial. "At the same time, 10 months without so much as a 3 per cent correction makes us a little more cautious here, as we enter a tricky time of the year seasonally."