Cherry Picking The Diamonds From The Stock Market

How far ahead of the economy is the stock market?

I've heard the stock market is an indicator of future economics. We've seen a little improvement in the market recently, indicating economic recovery, but when? Also, why does the stock market say it likes Hillary Clinton as VP?

Basically, I'm interested what messages the stock market sends in general.

The rule of thumb is the market is about six months ahead of the economy so when the market starts a sustainable rise the economy should follow in six months.