Investors expect higher stocks in 2015, but also turbulence

FILE - In this June 18, 2014 file photo, specialist Peter Giacchi calls out prices during the IPO of Foresight Energy on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. A strong U.S. economy helped propel the stock market higher for a fifth-straight year in 2014. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File) FILE - In this June 18, 2014 file photo, specialist Peter Giacchi calls out prices during the IPO of Foresight Energy on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. A strong U.S. economy helped propel the stock market higher for a fifth-straight year in 2014. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

By Associated Press December 22, 2014 7 min read

NEW YORK (AP) – Can the U.S. hold everyone else above water? That is the question investors are asking as Wall Street heads into 2015.

A strong U.S. economy helped propel the stock market higher in 2014, continuing a bull market that is on pace to celebrate its sixth birthday in March. On more than one occasion, investors dumped stocks following geopolitical flare-ups and concerns about the global economy, only to jump back in when an economic report or results from a big company suggested the U.S. economy was still resilient.

This bull market may be slowing down, but it still has had a remarkable run. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index has more than tripled from its March 2009 low.

Wall Street strategists, who typically are bullish on the U.S. stock market, expect the advance to continue into 2015.

Here are the major themes investors will need to watch: