W.P. Stewart

One thing is certain - there is a lot of bad news around and many people are now forecasting a double-dip recession. 'Bad news,' however, may already be factored into prices. Global growth is still expected to be solidly positive in 2010 and 2011, albeit somewhat skewed to the emerging markets. Corporate balance sheets are very robust, productivity has never been higher and earnings growth remains strong even on somewhat reduced estimates. Equities should therefore offer significantly better returns than bonds or cash.

The recovery in U.S. corporate earnings underpins the equity market's current valuation and offers scope for further upward movement over the coming quarters. In many respects the continued recovery in equity prices is likely to become self-fulfilling. As confidence in equities returns, investors are likely to move more money from cash and bonds, where they have parked it over the last 18 months, into equities. This in turn will push P/E's higher, which together with better earnings should offer investors good positive returns.