Mark Vickery

Say goodbye to 2012 - an occasionally volatile but modestly successful 12 months overall, even if Congress' apparent impotence in the face of the coming fiscal cliff has hacked away at that perception over the past couple weeks.

Wednesday's sell-off - a fall of around 2.5% in the equities markets - following President Obama's successful bid to win a second term on Tuesday may have some investors spooked, but a little perspective is in order.