P&I Online readers are bullish on the prospects for the Standard & Poor's 500 index in 2013. About 86% of respondents to a P&I Online poll last week believe the S&P 500 will end the year with a gain.
Of the respondents, 10.7% believe the index will close up more than 15%; 57.8% believe the S&P 500 index will close up 5% to 15%; and 16.7% believe the index will have modest gain of less than 5%.
Even among bearish respondents, few believe the S&P 500 will experience a mauling in 2013, as only 3.7% believe the index will fall more than 15%. Most bears were far more modest: 6.3% believe the exchange would drop less than 5% and 4.8% believe the index will drop 5% to 15%.
Last year, the S&P 500 posted a total return of 15.89%.
Sell-side strategists, known for their bullish nature, are predicting a gain in the S&P 500 of 7.6% in 2013.
