A synchronized global economic expansion is driving growth in corporate profits and in turn propelling world stock markets to record highs. After years of policy stimulus, 2017 global growth should clock in at the strongest since 2011. There’s more good news; leading economic indicators suggest the expansion should continue in 2018 with no recession on the horizon. Now for the bad news; monetary policy stimulus is being dialed down however, as long as central banks do not

Global growth was better than expected during 2017, causing the International Monetary Fund to raise its GDP growth estimates for both 2017 & 2018 to 3.6% and 3.7% respectively. The synchronized global expansion has shifted the “dovish tone” surrounding several advanced economies central banks towards a more “hawkish" tone”. A few central banks were committed to reversing emergency low interest rates put in place after the financial crisis (Canada & United States) or acknowle

The global economy has expanded faster than what forecasters envisioned earlier in 2017 and provides a strong handoff to 2018. Emerging economies have produced some high growth rates with Asian countries in particular (India and China) at 6.5%. This level is expected to continue in both 2018 and 2019. Advanced economies have grown more slowly (2.2%) and were a drag on global growth however, the rate accelerated from 2016. Turning to the U.S. economy, the largest in the wor