1/18/2012 5:15 PM ET

By Anthony Mirhaydari, MSN Money

Despite recent upswings, 2012 is shaping up to be another lousy year for the global economy and financial markets. But here's why I'm optimistic long term.

Over the past few weeks, whilst a mood of holiday high spirits dominated, I've felt a bit like a naked loon covered only by a placard reading "The end is near."

It's been particularly nippy for me since the year began, with stocks perking up in a steady, low-volume, low-volatility advance. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index ($INX) poked its head above 1,300 on Tuesday for the first time since summer, thanks to some better-than-expected economic data and an emerging worldwide narrative that global...