Investors have finally seen the stock market behave better over the past couple of days. After having to deal with a horrible September that sent the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI) into bear-market territory along with the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) and Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC), the first two trading sessions of October have been remarkable.

Yet as Wednesday morning dawned, investors appeared likely to have to prepare for a pause in the fourth-quarter celebration. With contracts on stock index futures down around 1%, it's clear that long-term investors will have to have patience in order to benefit from the recovery when it comes. Moreover, the next several weeks will likely bring a lot more uncertainty into the mix, making it more important than ever to have conviction in your views of the companies in which you've invested.

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Source Fool.com