"The stock market is trying to stabilize. In the second half of October, the S&P 500 or SPX started to show some strength. In a sign of resiliency, the stock market today is holding up quite well considering some of the poor results from some of the bellwether technology companies. In the past, poor earnings reports from technology companies have put severe downward pressure on the stock market. On a seasonal basis, October is known as a bear market killer. Since 1950, one-third of all corrections and bear markets have ended in October. In addition, November and December are on average the two strongest contiguous months of the year. The stock market has a strong seasonal tailwind at this time," says Brooke Thackray. Thackray then provides his stock picks: Fastenal (FAST), Home Depot (HD), and McDonald's (MCD).