What’s driving the stock rally

Associated Press

NEW YORK

The stock market is hitting new heights, and yes, excitement about President Trump’s policies is part of the reason for it. But it’s not the only one, analysts say.

Here’s a look at some of the factors behind the strong run for stocks:

The Trump bump

The first reaction for markets to Trump’s win of the White House was confusion. Many investors had been expecting a victory for Hillary Clinton, and markets around the world tumbled on election night as the result became apparent. But they reversed course within hours. The reason: Investors are expecting the Trump White House to push through tax cuts for businesses and to loosen regulations on them.

Lower tax bills for companies should lead to an immediate rise in earnings, and stock prices tend to track profits over the long term.

The economy is getting better

Growth has been frustratingly slow since the end of the Great Recession, but the job market is picking up steam. The unemployment rate in January was 4.8 percent, and economists see the economy as close to full employment. A report Thursday showed that the fewest number of workers applied for unemployment benefits last week since Richard Nixon was in the White House.

Improvement was underway before Trump entered the White House, but his election has spurred things along. Optimism among small businesses, for example, spiked higher after the election and is now at its highest level since 2004, according to surveys from the National Federation of Independent Business.

Higher confidence all around

Confidence has spread even to regular investors.

After years of hiding out in bonds and other safer investments, retail investors began creeping back into stock mutual funds and exchange-traded funds following the election. Investors plugged $20.7 billion into U.S. stock funds in November. They’ve followed that up with more purchases. That buying has helped to bid up stocks even more.