It’s been a no good, horrible year for equities — but the bulls are here to play: More than half (59%) of investors are bullish about short-term stock market performance, while over half predict a recession is coming or has already started, according to a UBS poll cited by Bloomberg. That’s 9 percentage points higher than three months ago when markets sank after a short rally. Nearly 3k high net-worth investors were polled, with 69% of European investors showing optimism about the region’s economy in the coming year. 62% of Asian investors expressed positive prospects for their region over the next year as well, while American investors were less optimistic with only 51% reporting a positive outlook. Nearly two-thirds of global investors are expecting inflation to keep rising, leading 50% of investors to curtail expenditures, according to the poll results.

---

Top ranked women at companies are quitting their jobs at the highest rate in years, according to a report by the McKinsey & Co. and LeanIn.org. For every woman at the director level who gets promoted, two women directors are choosing to quit, according to data collected from 333 US organizations employing over 12 mn people.

Women are just as ambitious, but find it harder to advance: Three main reasons drive women to quit including “microaggressions” that compromise their authority and judgment or having their gender or being a parent affect chances for a promotion or a raise. Other reasons include being overworked and under-recognized, despite doing more to support employees in the workplace and demands of flexibility.