Behind the Numbers, Gail Dudack

"It has been my assumption that whether or not we technically avoid a recession, we are in something that feels enough like a recession," explains the Principal of the Dudack Research Group. "I think that when you look at valuation and the expectations of returns over the next 12 months or so for different asset classes, equities clearly win," she says. "Cash has very little returns and bonds still have risk." Dudack suggests the second quarter will be critical in terms of earnings potential of companies and big concerns that everyone has relating to the housing market. "If you ask people what the one thing is that could turn sentiment in the economy and their view around, it would be related to residential housing," she notes.