The Week in Markets – 2024 should be a good year for stocks

In our first podcast episode for the year, Mark Matthews, Head Research Asia Pacific, shares why the US market should do well in 2024, despite the S&P 500 index returning 26% in 2023. We need to remember that 2022 was a bear market, and in fact the index is only at the same level it was two years ago. The reasons for last year’s earnings recession were high inflation and high interest rates. But inflation has come down, and all indications are that interest rates will too. Earnings growth of about 10% this year and next is not an unreasonable assumption.