Ross Marowits, The Canadian Press On Jan. 1, investors celebrating Bay Street’s best returns since the global financial crisis couldn’t have known what kind of year they were about to face. The year on stock exchanges was marked by swift and frequent changes in reaction to news events, with updates on the number of active Covid-19 cases or the latest round of vaccine trials moving the needle as much as traditional economic indicators like the unemployment rate or central bank policy changes. With 2021 fast approaching, analysts are by and large are optimistic about the year to come. Still, they caution that the same volatility will likely colour the early part of 2021 as new waves of Covid infections emerge and full-scale vaccination remains months away.