Jobs, Earnings Will Foretell Whether Recovery is for Real

Two consecutive quarters of job gains and strong fourth-quarter earnings reports will tell fund managers and investors whether or not the U.S. economy is back on track – and whether the market correction and profit-taking that took hold in many sectors on Sept. 20 will continue, Lipper analysts said Wednesday.

But even if these economic indicators disappoint, the mutual fund industry is likely to continue to see the strong inflows it has experienced since April, simply because investors are anxious to get back into a game that has beaten them for the past three years. Investors in 401(k)s and other retirement plans especially are eager to make up for lost time.

That was the consensus of Lipper analysts as they presented their third-quarter and market outlook findings.

Many funds lost half the gains they had racked up during the third quarter in the last week of September alone. Still, the biggest fund gainers were: Gold (up 25%), Japan (21%), China (21%), Science and Technology (11%) and Small-cap Growth (9%).

For reprint and licensing requests for this article, click here.
Money Management Executive
MORE FROM FINANCIAL PLANNING