Bull and bear
Stocks have started the year with their best rally since 2019 – but analysts are warning the bull run won't last.
  • US stocks have enjoyed a "surprisingly good start" to the year, with benchmark indexes like the S&P 500 rallying.
  • The equity gains have been driven mainly by expectations that the Federal Reserve could start cutting interest rates this year.
  • But bearish investors like Michael Burry are warning the market could be wrong. Here's why.

US stocks just had their best start to a year since 2019 – a stark contrast from the mood only weeks ago, when investors were angst-ridden about surging interest rates and the threat of a recession.

The benchmark S&P 500 index is up almost 6% so far in 2023, after a 17% slump last year that was the worst since the 2008 credit crisis. Its advance last month was the best for a January in four years.