Advisers' spirits rise as year ends

Advisers’ confidence in the economy and the stock market improved for the second consecutive month in December, according to Rydex AdvisorBenchmarking’s Advisor Confidence Index. The index rose 2% in December to 83.57, from 82.46 in November. Three of the four economic outlook components measured by the index improved: the current economic outlook by 3.78%, the six-month economic outlook by 0.82%, and the stock market outlook by 4.73%. The sole declining component, the 12-month economic outlook, fell 3.17%. The survey was produced by Rydex AdvisorBenchmarking, the research affiliate of Rydex Investments of Rockville, Md., which focuses on the registered investment adviser market and surveys 150 advisers each month.