While 2013 has been a very good year for returns in the equity market, it's also worth noting how safe it felt for stock investors. As the S&P 500 index was advancing more than 25 percent on the year, it had only three days in which it moved by more than 2 percent.
Meanwhile, the Volatility Index continues to reach now lows. As recently as 2011, the so-called fear index spent much of the year above 30, but it spent almost all of 2013 below its long-term average of 20. That suggests that investors aren't expecting a lot of dramatic moves out of this market, either up or down.
And small investors are definitely feeling more comfortable. Stock mutual funds are on track to add $60 billion in net inflows this year. That would be the first annual gain for such funds since way back in 2005.
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