FINANCIAL BLOG

In our 2026 Outlook: The Policy Engine, we listed several risks to stocks that could prevent the S&P 500 from achieving our forecast for high-single-digit returns in 2026 (to a fair value target range of 7,300–7,400). One was narrow stock market leadership. Well, as mega cap technology leadership faded in recent months, the cyclicals and defensives picked up the slack.

LPL Research provides its Weekly Market Performance for the week of March 2, 2026. Capital markets faced a challenging start to March as geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and Iran, rising oil prices, and renewed inflation concerns pressured global equities and bonds. While U.S. stocks showed some signs of resilience with multiple daily gains and losses off session lows, both domestic and international markets ultimately declined amid energy supply fears and shifting rate

Dividend strategies, a.k.a. equity income strategies, have outperformed to start the year, owing to the value-led cyclical rotation we are seeing in domestic equity markets. Looking beyond current performance, this week, we ask and answer the question “How should I think about dividend stocks or building an equity income portfolio?”

LPL Research provides its Weekly Market Performance for the week of February 23, 2026. U.S. stocks fell for the week as concerns about AI’s disruptive impact drove a broader risk‑off shift. Technology and banks weakened, while defensive sectors held up better. International markets were mixed, with Asia outperforming despite global caution around AI. In bonds, falling yields supported core fixed income as investors grew more worried about economic momentum.

LPL Research’s Strategic Asset Allocation (SAA) sits at the center of our portfolio construction process because it defines how we expect diversified portfolios to generate more stable long‑term outcomes across shifting market environments. The SAA is the long‑term plan for how major asset classes work together in a portfolio.

LPL Research provides its Weekly Market Performance for the week of February 16, 2026. U.S. stocks regained their footing in a holiday-shortened week, overcoming lingering concerns around AI‑related spending and geopolitical tensions to focus on mostly positive takeaways around the American economy. International stocks were mixed, with Europe extending gains on strong earnings and improving business activity, while Asia-Pacific trading was muted by Lunar New Year holiday clo

Wall Street narratives rarely stay still, and recent weeks have underscored how quickly sentiment can change as perceived new information challenges the status quo. Widely discussed anxiety over a potential artificial intelligence (AI) bubble fueled by relentless capital spending on data center infrastructure has now transitioned into a broader set of worries about industry‑level disruption driven by rapidly advancing AI platforms.

LPL Research provides its Weekly Market Performance for the week of February 9, 2026. It was a volatile week in which U.S. equities fell as fears of AI disruption outweighed solid economic data, while international and emerging markets outperformed. Treasury yields declined amid strong demand for government bonds, reflecting a flight to quality. Commodities were mixed, with energy prices falling and gold rising on safe‑haven demand.

LPL Research provides its Weekly Market Performance for the week of January 26, 2026. Capital markets continued to face a variety of moving pieces, this time, ranging from high-profile earnings, central bank developments from Washington, and volatile commodities and currency market trading. U.S. stocks ultimately ended mostly lower after retracing early-week gains on rekindled artificial intelligence (AI) scrutiny, and markets parsed the nomination for the next U.S. central b

After a stellar 2025 in which emerging market (EM) equities returned 34%, 2026 is off to a good start with the MSCI EM Index up 7% year to date. Last year’s near doubling of the S&P 500 return was driven mostly by a weakening U.S. dollar, which propped up EM returns, but attractive valuations and artificial intelligence (AI) investment played a role. This week we highlight five reasons we’ve warmed up to EM.

The Federal Reserve (Fed) enters 2026 navigating potentially constrained policy conditions as resilient growth and above‑trend inflation intersect with an increasingly unsustainable fiscal trajectory. Fed Chair Jerome Powell emphasized that federal debt growth requires eventual corrective action, even if near‑term market risks remain limited.

LPL Research provides its Weekly Market Performance for the week of January 26, 2026. Capital markets continued to face a variety of moving pieces, this time, ranging from high-profile earnings, central bank developments from Washington, and volatile commodities and currency market trading. U.S. stocks ultimately ended mostly lower after retracing early-week gains on rekindled artificial intelligence (AI) scrutiny, and markets parsed the nomination for the next U.S. central b

Productivity growth is the key mechanism that allows the U.S. economy to expand above its long‑run trend without reigniting inflation. Recent data show U.S. nonfarm business productivity rising 4.9% in Q3 2025, a surge strong enough to counter inflationary pressures even amid solid economic growth. Beyond containing inflation, faster productivity growth also helps offset structural headwinds from slowing population growth, a shrinking labor force, and an expanding retiree coh

LPL Research provides its Weekly Market Performance for the week of January 19, 2026. Four days of packed headlines and global volatility across markets left U.S. equities slightly lower in an abbreviated week of trading. Tariff threats across the Atlantic dented risk sentiment following the long weekend before a bounce in big tech names helped stocks recoup the geopolitical-fueled slide.

The melt‑up in the metals market that defined 2025 has extended its strength into the early weeks of the new year, reinforcing the commodity sector’s position as one of the leading asset classes across global markets. To the surprise of most, gold outperformed the broader equity market for a third consecutive year, surging roughly 65% in 2025 and far exceeding the S&P 500’s gains.

LPL Research provides its Weekly Market Performance for the week of January 12, 2026. Stocks ended slightly lower this week as investors digested an array of headlines ranging from fresh earnings reports, geopolitical developments, rotation dynamics, and remarks from central bank officials. Big tech strength in the latter half of the week helped cap losses following strong quarterly results from one of Asia’s most valuable companies, Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM).

Fourth quarter earnings season unofficially kicks off this week with a dozen banks and asset managers in the S&P 500 slated to report. Results will come from some big names, including JPMorgan Chase (JPM) on Tuesday; Bank of America (BAC), Wells Fargo (WFC) and Citigroup (C) on Wednesday; and Blackrock (BLK), Goldman Sachs (GS), and Morgan Stanley (MS) on Thursday.

LPL Research provides its Weekly Market Performance for the week of January 5, 2026. Headlines remained in high supply over the first full week of trading in 2026, with investors parsing high-profile economic data, announcements out of Washington, and geopolitical risks. Nonetheless, U.S. stocks powered higher to secure a healthy weekly advance. Across the pond, European shares gained ground on the back of tech shares, while Asian markets ended mostly higher.

With 2025 behind us, it’s a good time to celebrate some of our better forecasts from last year while also reviewing some misses we can learn from. In our view, we got more right than wrong last year, but there were some misses among our tactical asset allocation recommendations.

LPL Research provides its Weekly Market Performance for the week of December 29, 2025. Amid light trading volumes, stocks traded lower over the course of the New Year’s holiday-shortened week, capping another year of double-digit returns with a moderately risk-off tone. Major U.S. averages pared their year-to-date advance to round out 2025 as investors await the next big market catalyst, while international stocks ended mostly higher after sealing an unexpectedly strong year.