Bernake to Americans: Buy stocks to improve economy - 13abc.com Toledo (OH) News, Weather and Sports

Bernake to Americans: Buy stocks to improve economy

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Ben Bernanke hopes his latest plan to stimulate the economy will get you to buy stocks and other risky assets. Maybe you should. People who did that after two similar Federal Reserve efforts are sitting on big gains today.

But the odds of fat profits aren't looking as good this time, and seem to be getting worse.

Stocks rose sharply before the Fed chairman announced his plans Sept. 13 instead of falling, as they did before the two previous efforts, suggesting less room for gains now.

Meanwhile, the world economy is slowing and Wall Street analysts are cutting estimates for future corporate profits. They expect them to fall this quarter from a year earlier, the first drop since just after the Great Recession ended 3½ years ago.

"The market seems like it's climbing on central bank intervention rather than fundamentals," says Gary Flam, chief stock manager at Bel Air Investment Advisors. "I'm not a buyer right now."

The outlook for other risky assets like high-yield bonds is darkening, too.

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