It is said that above all else, the stock market hates uncertainty. So, when one surveys the current landscape, it becomes clear why stocks have essentially been moving sideways for the past two months (with some arguing that this number should be four and one-half).

The bottom line is that there are great many things for traders to fret about at the present time. And while most are not new, it can sometimes help to identify the key concerns.

First and foremost on the list of worries is oil. While some argue whether oil will be a net positive for the U.S. consumer over time, most analysts now agree that the crash in oil prices is a problem - potentially a big problem - from a global macroeconomic perspective.

U.S. Oil Fund ETF (NYSE: USO) - Weekly

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The biggest concern is that the massive decline isn't just computer trading algo's gone wild, but a reflection of demand, and in turn, an indication that growth is slowing in the big picture.

It is for this reason that most days recently traders have tied their trading to the price of oil. If the macro view is indeed under pressure, then the price of oil is a good leading indicator of what to expect in the future. So, as silly as it seems, oil may hold the future to the next important move in the stock market.

The good news is that it does appear oil is attempting to put in a base from a short-term perspective.

U.S. Oil Fund ETF (NYSE: USO) - Daily

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