Job Growth Will Spur Stocks in Coming Months Says UMB Bank CIO

Expect another good year in domestic equities with corporate America seeing 4% revenue growth and 6% earnings growth, said KC Mathews, CIO of UMB Bank. Mathews said the combination of a strengthening economy and increased profits should lead to 10% total returns in the equity market. He anticipates GDP growth between 2.7% and 3.1% primarily due to a surge in employment. Mathews said GDP will be supported by a robust labor market as businesses create new jobs, and he estimates nearly 250,000 jobs will be created on average per month. Finally, Mathews said Russian problems or a Fed policy mistake would be factors that hurt his forecast.