U.S. stocks may have seen wild swings in 2011, but some forecasters expect equities to rally in 2012 thanks partly to the Presidential elections.
Equity strategists at JP Morgan see the S&P 500 ending 2012 at pre-recession levels, touching a price target of 1,430. They believe Europe's ongoing debt crisis will ease by the second half of 2012. They also note that the election cycle could positively support equities. Historically, stocks have performed well when an incumbent going into an election has had low approval ratings.
Of course, that's assuming things in Europe won't take a turn for the worse.
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