US Markets

We're at beginning stages of new bull market: Investment expert

Key Points
  • There's a solid economic foundation in place that will support higher stock prices for the next three to five years, says Hennion & Walsh's Kevin Mahn.
  • "We are at the beginning stages now of a new bull market that's going to be driven now more by earnings growth and economic expansion," he says.
What strong global growth means for US markets
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What strong global growth means for US markets

There is a "solid economic foundation" in place that will support higher stock prices across the globe for the next three to five years, investment expert Kevin Mahn told CNBC on Tuesday.

"We are at the beginning stages now of a new bull market that's going to be driven now more by earnings growth and economic expansion as opposed to the nine-year-old secular bull market that was driven by central bank intervention and political posturing," the president and chief investment officer at Hennion & Walsh said on "Power Lunch."

Expectations are high for this earnings season, with Wall Street analysts forecasting a 17.3 percent increase in first-quarter earnings, according to FactSet.

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And the season has gotten off to a strong start, with many big names reporting better-than-expected results. On Tuesday, Netflix was the best performer in the after reporting in-line quarterly earnings and higher-than-expected subscriber growth after the bell Monday.

UnitedHealth shares rose 3.6 percent after it reported better-than-expected earnings and raised its outlook for 2018.

Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs shares fell despite posting better-than-expected earnings and revenue for the first quarter, which was boosted by a 38 percent jump in equities trading revenue.

Sorin Roibu, senior research analyst at Brandywine, said the underlying message is that the U.S. economy remains in good shape — and there's still more good news to come.

"We're about to experience a very significant fiscal stimulus in the form of tax reforms, and that should translate to higher business activity and higher consumer activity," he said on "Power Lunch."

Closing Bell Exchange: Concern about Goldman's investment banking, M&A businesses
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Closing Bell Exchange: Concern about Goldman's investment banking, M&A businesses

Brent Schutte, chief investment strategist at Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management, agrees the economy is continuing to do well but said there is a fear that it is actually slowing down.

"The one thing that's kind of holding the market back a bit is this impending growth fear and is the Fed making a mistake," he said on "Closing Bell," referring to the pace of the central bank's rate hikes.

However, he isn't one who necessarily shares those fears.

"Over the coming quarters we're going to see that the economy continues to go up," he said.

When it comes to investing, Mahn stressed the importance of having a globally diversified portfolio.

That's because as the full benefits of tax cuts kick in in the second half of the year, the Fed continues to raise interest rates while the rest of the world maintains their current rate levels.

He believes that creates opportunities for international stocks.

— CNBC's Fred Imbert contributed to this report.