2018: Five walls of worry... and five slopes of hope for investors

The old saying "markets like to climb a wall of worry" proved spot on in 2017, writes Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell.

The old saying "markets like to climb a wall of worry" proved spot on in 2017, writes Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell. Concerns over what President Donald Trump may or may not do, North Korea, China's economy, the Brexit talks and a gradual series of US Federal Reserve interest rate increases were all swept aside as global stock markets moved higher and bonds did not suffer the accident many had feared.  Yet such optimism could leave investors exposed to the danger of 'sliding down the slope of hope' in 2018. Markets can be at their most dangerous when making money looks...