A monthly benchmark of financial advisors’ confidence in the economy and markets. A reading below 100 indicates pessimism, over 100 indicates optimism.
REACTIONS FROM PANELISTS
“Barring a terrorist attack or geo-political disaster in the Europe or the mid-east, my outlook is positive. There may be a short term negative reaction to an increase in interest rates by the Fed, but I believe the positive economic results that triggered the increase will prevail and move the market higher,” Richard Mollin, Sentinel Advisory Services, LLC
“There is an old saying on Wall Street, ‘Don't fight the Fed,’ and yet we see this play out almost daily in the markets. Bond bubbles are not nearly as severe as equity bubbles! I would say ‘Don't fret the Fed!’” Douglas Stone, SeaCrest Wealth Management
“Toward the end of 2014, a long period of calm gave way to increasing volatility, and you can expect more of the same in 2015. We expect markets to move less as a cohesive whole, where returns will depend on picking the right sectors and stocks rather than relying on a broad based approach,” Kevin Stockton, Horter Investment Management
“Although economic conditions continue to improve, there exists many headwinds that could hamper the stock market from appreciating greatly over the near term, but rather stay in a range bound environment,” John Maffei, MFM Capital Management
