FINANCIAL BLOG

In our Weekly Market Commentary on November 17, we previewed our Outlook 2026 publication, due out on December 9. We highlighted several keys for markets next year, covering the U.S. economy, stocks, and bonds. This week, we broaden our preview and tease some other factors investors will want to consider when thinking about investing in 2026.

LPL Research provides its Weekly Market Performance for the week of December 1, 2025. Equities kicked off the month of December on a mildly positive note, extending last week’s rebound with a measured advance. With a lack of big directional drivers, the S&P 500 edged back toward record highs, while global stocks ended mostly higher.

Third quarter earnings season winds down over the next couple of weeks and has once again met Wall Street’s high expectations. After tariff-muddled first quarter results, companies did a good job adjusting to tariffs in the second quarter and continued to do so last quarter.

LPL Research provides its Weekly Market Performance for the week of November 10, 2025. Global equities traded lower in the final full week of November trading as a fresh wave of volatility dragged on markets. Artificial intelligence (AI) related jitters remained top of mind for investors ahead of key quarterly results from chipmaker and index heavyweight NVIDIA (NVDA).

In a year that could easily be defined by a few different words — including but not limited to tariffs, technology, or more broadly, uncertainty — capital markets have plugged along splendidly. Despite a near-bear market correction in April, the S&P 500 and U.S. stocks more broadly have powered higher, hurdling obstacles nearly without interruption.

LPL Research provides its Weekly Market Performance for the week of November 10, 2025. Major averages ended a wild week mixed as tech sentiment flipped between positive and negative, taking stocks along for the ride.

Artificial intelligence (AI) makes daily headlines, and investors are questioning if businesses’ AI-related investment can continue at this pace. The money spent on data centers, software, and other AI-related investments reveal the structural shifts occurring in the economy.

LPL Research provides its Weekly Market Performance for the week of November 3, 2025. U.S. and international equity markets faced a volatile week, ending broadly lower. Recent earnings reports and fear of an overheating market collided, stoking valuation concerns for artificial intelligence (AI) related shares and denting risk appetite.

There was no shortage of headlines on both the micro and macro levels last week. Earnings season ramped up as nearly half of the S&P 500’s market cap reported third quarter (Q3) results, including a handful of mega cap companies.

LPL Research provides its Weekly Market Performance for the week of October 27, 2025. Capital markets faced an action-packed week with events ranging from trade talks to global central bank decisions to Magnificent Seven earnings reports. Amid both tricks and treats throughout the week, U.S. stocks managed to hold on to weekly and monthly gains through Friday's Halloween session.

With the stock market in record-high territory and up about 35% off the April lows, market participants clearly haven’t been too scared lately. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of things to worry about.

LPL Research provides its Weekly Market Performance for the week of October 20, 2025. U.S. stocks logged another weekly advance amid thawing trade tensions and a flurry of third quarter earnings. Investors also ended the week on a bright note, posting a solid rally after the delayed release of consumer inflation data for September helped underpin Federal Reserve (Fed) rate cut expectations.

In corporate credit markets, early indicators of stress often emerge subtly — not through dramatic dislocations, but through nuanced shifts in borrower behavior and market dynamics. Much like canaries in coal mines once signaled invisible threats, and Jamie Dimon’s warning about “cockroaches” in credit markets hinted at more credit events to come, recent developments in the leveraged credit space suggest areas of vulnerability are worth monitoring.

LPL Research provides its Weekly Market Performance for the week of October 13, 2025. Major U.S. averages ended a volatile week higher amid a flurry of headlines. Lingering trade tensions, the unofficial earnings season kick-off, and sudden regional bank jitters sparked up-and-down trading for most of the week, while international markets ended mixed amid local political developments and earnings.

LPL Research provides its Weekly Market Performance for the week of October 6, 2025. Despite narrow trading for much of the week, stocks ended lower as tariff concerns returned to center stage, driving stocks sharply lower to end an otherwise catalyst-light week. Major averages were on track for a mostly higher finish, despite artificial intelligence (AI) concerns and the ongoing government shutdown, until the latest escalation in U.S.-China tensions sparked widespread sellin

Sunday, October 12 marked the third anniversary of this bull market. Three years ago, the S&P 500 closed at 3,577 as investors feared inflation would become entrenched after wholesale prices unexpectedly accelerated. After a sharp sell-off that morning, stocks rallied and closed nicely higher that day.

We believe corporate America will follow up an outstanding second quarter earnings season with another good one in the third quarter. Support from a resilient economy, tariff mitigation measures, artificial intelligence (AI) investment, and currency should offset increasing tariff costs.

LPL Research provides its Weekly Market Performance for the week of September 29, 2025. Major U.S. averages bucked historical trends for September to deliver a solid monthly advance, simultaneously sealing healthy gains for the third quarter. Stocks kicked off the final quarter of 2025 on a positive note, logging weekly gains on the back of healthcare and technology shares, despite a political standoff in Washington leading to a government shutdown.

U.S. equity markets have bucked the weak September seasonality trend (thus far) and rallied to fresh highs this month, with the S&P 500 holding onto a 2.7% monthly gain as of September 26. The melt-up has been underpinned by the Federal Reserve (Fed) delivering on rate cut expectations without any hawkish surprises, earnings optimism, and continued support of the artificial intelligence (AI) secular growth theme.

LPL Research provides its Weekly Market Performance for the week of September 22, 2025.The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite both closed at record highs on Monday before losing ground the next three sessions. Gains on Friday, after reassuring inflation data helped pare weekly losses, were not enough to bring the major averages back to breakeven (as of 3:00 p.m. ET on Friday).