Here's the story of the hurricanes...

Retailers are having trouble selling non-essential items.

Of course, this is mostly the fault of Katrina and Rita. With the inflation, the gas prices, the job losses, the falling consumer confidence and the floundering sales industry, Katrina and Rita have become the most destructive duo since Godzilla met King Kong.

What's even worse...this trend of falling sales figures could ruin Christmas.

The good news, though, is that our market will most probably prevail.

"Wall Street is showing surprising resilience in the wake of the hurricanes, soaring energy prices, and the Fed's latest monetary-tightening moves," says Fred Dickson, market strategist at D.A. Davidson & Co., a brokerage firm in Great Falls, Mont.

I know that the news I deliver is often negative, and I know I often make it seem as if the world is about to end. That's why I want to reassure you that, yes, while many unpleasant things have happened, this country is gonna' be just fine in the long run.

At least until next year's hurricane season, that is.