Central banks are raising interest rates, and that's risky for stocks. Expectations for earnings growth are too high.

250

I would not say we have had fantastic news in the last two days but there is a little bit of an opening in the Iraqi situation and things may be getting a bit better there.

224

There's more upside because valuations look good in Europe and earnings really are improving, but we do need to see a major breakthrough in the war in Iraq.

207

Socially it's a big thing but I don't think this will affect the stock market at the moment. If it escalates further it might but it would have to be a massive escalation for it to really hurt the market.

206

With liquidity still strong, some valuation headroom remaining in our composite valuation indicator, and growth almost everywhere around the world stable to strong, it is hard to see why equity markets would not rise in the first part of 2006. We expect the positive equity market environment to run through into the first half of next year.

169

Profit growth is going to slow down dramatically. It's not a great level to be entering the equity market.

137

Seeing as U.S. GDP growth is going to be a lot better than as initially expected, this reporting season could be the trigger for the next upward leg in the market.

124

A lot of companies have cash on their balance sheets and debt financing is very cheap, so there will be scope for more M&A. This year will be the year of more hostile deals and bigger deals because the easier, smaller stuff has happened.

114