It seems too pat to imagine that U.S. stocks will get hit on Wednesday just because Apple’s earnings announcement after Tuesday’s close has laid an egg.  Buying power remains in the anxious hands of bears, who were back in force on Tuesday after having vanished a day earlier. This suggests that although the short-squeeze effect is not powerful enough right now to push stocks relentlessly higher one day after the next, it is well capable of a resurgence after a single day’s rest. Regard it as you would a virus spore, ready to revive whenever conditions are even slightly favorable. For investors, it will continue to add menace and uncertainty to each new day. Whether it can fool us into thinking the bull market still lives remains to be seen, but the capability will always be there.