The geeks on Wall Street are getting very hopeful about the economy. Are they wrong?
The markets have rallied this year as investors believe inflation will continue to ease and that the economy will avoid a recession – but it could end in tears.
The good times are back on Wall Street.
Stocks have surged since the start of the year. The Nasdaq is up nearly 15% this year after posting its best January since 2001. And it's not just stocks: bonds have risen and even bitcoin has made a roaring comeback, though all markets fell a tad on Friday.
This is all after a miserable 2022, when markets were hit hard by fears about surging inflation and about how the Federal Reserve was fighting it, with the biggest increases in the country's interest rates since the early 1980s.
Today, hope has replaced that fear. Inflation has eased substantially and investors now
