The stock markets have seen a strong bull run in the past two years, but this year may test investor confidence amid shifting interest rate expectations and lofty earnings forecasts. To start with, the Bureau of Labor Statistics stated that the U.S. economy added 256,000 new positions in December, far more than the 150,000 that had been expected. The solid jobs numbers have pushed back expectations for additional interest rate cuts into the second half of this year. On top of that, the Q4 earnin