A CNBC survey that was released before Christmas found that for the first time in 11 years, a majority of those surveyed were optimistic about the economy. The stock market had at least 70 record closings. And jobs growth has been solid. How solid? A quarter of a million new jobs were created in December, which sent the Dow Jones to break 25,000 for the first time ever. Oh, and 2017 also saw the Dow Jones experience a 5,000-point surge, the largest annual gain in its history (via CNBC):
