6 reasons the stock market could do surprisingly well in 2013

There are plenty of reasons to take a cautious, if not dim view of the stock market these days, including some predictions that the market could lose up to 20 percent of its value over the course of the next several months (which would bode ill for many life insurance carriers). But there are several reasons why the market might be poised for a banner year, too. Among them are the fact that corporate profits are pretty good, even though the economy is glum, the rate of inflation over the past 12 months has been at a sweet spot of 1.7 percent, and stock prices are actually quite moderate.