Stocks have been even more fickle than usual.

The main stock indexes are all up this month, and they have had double-digit gains since January. But it has been hard for traders to muster much enthusiasm. Despite the recent rallies, stocks haven’t made substantial net gains since the beginning of last year.

For the American economy, the signals are perplexing. The Federal Reserve’s interest rate cuts, periods of trade war de-escalation and the low jobless rate have allayed fears of a recession.

But manufacturing has been shrinking rapidly, and global trade has been deteriorating amid signs of a broad slowdown. The impeachment inquiry and the trade dispute, both large, all-consuming beasts, could send the economy careening.

Markets are mid-teeter, and the question for a long-term investor is how to end up on your feet regardless of where they fall.