For investors, 2023 presented more questions than answers. For example, are only seven stocks up? Is a recession happening? The list of known unknowns keeps growing, ranging from the ongoing conflicts in Europe and the Middle East to the economic uncertainty mostly driven by cooling inflation but stubbornly high consumer prices.

First Trust’s Chief Economist, Brian Wesbury, is still predicting a recession in the U.S during 2024. However, what does that mean for investors? Does a downturn in the economy mean that the stock market will follow suit? Is the rest of the S&P 500 still in a bear market? And what about everything else?

Key topics covered

• Can the U.S. consumer keep going: will Boomers help avoid a recession?
• The Fed Pivot: an alternative take from First Trust
• U.S. Presidential Election: what are the implications for investors?
• Radical reassessment of diversification: have bonds always offset equity losses? Is all "tech" correlated?
• AI is the real deal, but where to invest? AI is not just the "Magnificent 7"
• If the future is clean energy: why are those stocks underperforming?