Seems volatility hunkered down with a good book in front of a roaring fireplace and felt well at home this month.

During October, implied volatility was unfailingly hovered well above average. In fact, it hit its highest monthly average since June 2020, according to gia.com. Down to the nitty gritty: half of the days parked beyond the first two weeks of the months experienced swings in the equity market of at least +/- 2%. Joining the party was an Oct. 13 intra-day move exceeding 5%. That unfolded before the gales of an advance in the midst of the months’ second half.

As for next year? Um, don’t ask. According to msn.com, with investors updating their economic outcome probabilities, UBS Global Wealth Management recently said investors should figure on even more volatility in the 2023 S&P.

"Large month-to-month swings could continue well into next year," said UBS.

In all probability, wide monthly S&P 500 swings will stretch in 2023. Why? Investors will watch moves by the Fed and economic data to ascertain the chances of a soft landing or recession in the U.S.

"[Expect] more volatility and large market swings exacerbated by positioning as investors update their economic outcome probabilities in reaction to each new data point and Fed utterance," Jason Draho, head of Asset Allocation Americas at UBS Global Wealth Management, in a note.