Barron's Looks Ahead To 2018

This weekend's Barron's features the outlook for 2018 according to a panel of top investment strategists.

• Barron's also offers its top 10 stock picks for the coming year, including two returning favorites.


• Other featured articles list top ETF trends and best bond sectors for 2018.

"Outlook 2018: The Bull Market's Next Act" by Vito J. Racanelli indicates that Wall Street strategists see U.S. stocks rising 7 percent in the coming year, fueled by economic growth and earnings gains.

Check out the forecasts for the coming year from a panel top investment strategists at major U.S. investment banks and money-management firms surveyed by Barron's. Find out why those survey respondents are bullish on financials and tech but cautious on consumer staples and utilities. Where do they see the S&P 500 headed in the new year? And discover what they expect from cryptocurrencies, tax reform, inflation, interest rates, emerging markets and much more.

"Rational exuberance is the stock market's theme for 2018," says one key strategist quoted in the article. And he adds that the focus is on earnings this time, a view shared by many of his peers.

Some respondents, though, are suggesting that the bull's days are numbered. Will 2018 be a below average year? Does that presage the next recession? And if so, when can investors expect it?

See also: Is Bitcoin A New Asset Class Or The Next Great Market Bubble?

Andrew Bary's "Barron's 10 Favorite Stocks for 2018" points out that in a raging bull market, bargains are hard to find. So after discussions with institutional investors and Barron's own analysis, it is sticking with proven winners with plenty of room to rise in 2018.

See why Alphabet Inc GOOGL and Delta Air Lines, Inc. DAL returned to the list this year, and why new additions include Applied Materials, Inc. AMAT and Enterprise Products Partners L.P. EPD. Even Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Class A BRK is in the mix.

Each of the 10 Barron's picks is profiled, including the pros and cons, recent performance and how analysts view the stock.

Also in this week's Barron's:

How Barron's 2017 stock picks fared

• Whether MBIA Inc. MBI is overreaching with its share buybacks


• Apps that target young investors


• A roboadvisor aimed at young investors


• The new frontier in sustainable investing


• What's up with augmented reality


• ETF trends to watch in 2018


• 2018 as a make-or-break year for TV


• The best bond sectors for 2018


• Whether dividend growth among S&P 500 companies is still robust


• The shifting U.S. labor market


• How China's internet giants are funding a digital ecosystem

At the time of this writing, the author had no position in the mentioned equities.

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