Despite all the turmoil we’ve experienced in the past year, 2017 saw greater economic expansion and market growth than many anticipated. Will this trend continue into 2018, or are we due for a recession?

Brad McMillan, Commonwealth’s chief investment officer, looks at many of the factors that could affect where things are headed, including:

• Consumer spending
• Business investments
• Net exports
• Government spending

While these signs indicate that 2018 will be similar to 2017, things should slow down a bit as we potentially head toward the end of the business cycle. But, at least for the short term, there’s likely still a bit more room to run.