Investors expect stocks to advance further in 2021

US stock markets ended 2020 in positive mode, following the longest bull market in the history and the shortest bear market on record, with investors seeing stocks in early stages of multi-year bull run expecting further rise in 2021.

More cheap cash and vaccine would give more opportunities to the economy to heal and accelerate recovery from pandemic crash.

The past year was a wild one for Wall Street, as stocks were hammered by shutdowns on Covid-19 pandemic and rebounded sharply on hopes for economic recovery after vaccines were approved.

The US stock markets rallied above expectations in past two months and major US stock indexes ended year near all-time highs, with S&P500 advancing nearly 16% in 2020, Dow Jones was up over 6%, while Nasdaq 100 registered the biggest rally of 43% and rose over 16% in just two months after the US election.

The sentiment remains positive despite strong risk factors such as resurgent coronavirus pandemic, concerns about the speed of rollout of vaccine and US senate runoffs in Georgia for the balance of power in US Congress.

If Democrats sweep the dual runoffs and reach a split chamber, the tie-breaking vote would go to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and give Democrats full sway over Congress that would raise possibilities of tax-reform that would hurt stock prices, but most investors do not expect a sharp pullback in 2021 as most surveys are very bullish.