Weekly Updates • March 16, 2026

Lower oil “intensity” — less oil used per dollar of economic output — means energy shocks have a smaller impact on growth than in past decades. And from the supply side, the U.S. is now a net exporter of petroleum products.

Weekly Updates • March 9, 2026

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.

Weekly Updates • March 2, 2026

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?”

Weekly Updates • February 23, 2026

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.

Weekly Updates • February 17, 2026

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.

Weekly Updates • February 9, 2026

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.

Weekly Updates • February 2, 2026

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.

Weekly Updates • January 26, 2026

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.

Weekly Updates • January 20, 2026

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.

Weekly Updates • January 12, 2026

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.

Weekly Updates • January 5, 2026

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

Weekly Updates • December 22, 2025

LPL Research forecasts income-driven returns for 2026, with neutral duration, cautious Fed policy, and tight credit spreads.

Weekly Updates • December 15, 2025

LPL Research examines why the bull market appears ready to continue its run in 2026, powered by AI enthusiasm and further easing of monetary policy from the Fed.

Weekly Updates • December 1, 2025

Discover key factors shaping 2026 markets — AI adoption, earnings growth, and policy trends in LPL’s Outlook preview - to help investors navigate volatility.

Weekly Updates • November 24, 2025

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.

Weekly Updates • November 17, 2025

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.

Weekly Updates • November 10, 2025

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.

Weekly Updates • November 3, 2025

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.

Weekly Updates • October 27, 2025

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.

Weekly Updates • October 20, 2025

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.

Weekly Updates • October 13, 2025

This bull market enters year four with strong gains, driven by tech and AI. History suggests more upside ahead amid resilient growth and a dovish Fed stance.

Weekly Updates • October 6, 2025

LPL Research provides a Q3 earnings preview highlighting strong AI-driven growth, resilient margins despite tariffs, and a positive outlook for corporate profits into 2026.

Weekly Updates • September 29, 2025

LPL Research analyzes recent market performance as Fed expectations, strong economic data, government shutdown concerns and more continue to have an impact.

Weekly Updates • September 22, 2025

During last week’s press conference after the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) rate decision, Chairman Jerome Powell warned his audience there is no risk-free path for interest rates right now. Inflation is above target and growth appears resilient.

Weekly Updates • September 15, 2025

LPL Research examines political shifts and fiscal concerns in Japan, France, the U.K., and the U.S. and its impact on bond yields.

Weekly Updates • September 8, 2025

LPL Research sees bull market strength as stocks follow recovery trends, with AI growth, Fed cuts, and economic resilience driving upside.

Weekly Updates • September 2, 2025

Explore September stock market trends, S&P 500 seasonality, earnings growth, and Fed rate cut expectations in LPL Research’s Weekly Market Commentary.

Weekly Updates • August 25, 2025

As central bankers, economists, and policymakers gathered last weekend in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park for the 2025 Jackson Hole Economic Symposium, the Federal Reserve (Fed) found itself at a critical juncture marked by political pressures, personnel changes, and internal divisions over monetary policy direction.

Weekly Updates • August 18, 2025

Second quarter earnings season, which winds down this week and next, has met some of the highest expectations. Strong beat rates, big upside earnings surprises, and increases in estimates during the past four weeks were consistent themes that gave investors very little to complain about.

Weekly Updates • August 11, 2025

We have been pleasantly surprised by how well stocks have handled the sharp increase in tariffs. Since the market low from the early April tariff scare, the S&P 500 Index has gained more than 28%.

Weekly Updates • August 4, 2025

Last week was one for the ages in terms of the number and magnitude of events and data points for investors to digest. A Federal Reserve (Fed) meeting, the monthly jobs report, and the peak week of earnings season would be enough to qualify as a busy week.

Weekly Updates • July 28, 2025

Last week, investors were reminded of the persistent impact the pandemic had on many macro models. In particular, the Leading Economic Index (LEI), which has historically been the Conference Board’s accurate leading indicator of the business cycle, still points to a deep, imminent recession as of last month.

Weekly Updates • July 21, 2025

Within fixed income markets, a tug of war has unfolded between two opposing forces, much like the classic tale of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The benevolent Dr. Jekyll emerges when economic data suggests weakness, which leads to lower interest rates and relief for borrowers.

Weekly Updates • July 14, 2025

If “tariff” isn’t the word of the year for stock investors so far, then perhaps it’s “uncertainty.” Uncertainty around trade policy dominated the path of the stock market in the first half and will continue to play a large role in the second half.

Weekly Updates • June 30, 2025

With investor focus now squarely back on U.S. equities as new all-time highs are in sight, we dig into why strategic allocations should still consider, despite recent outperformance and multiple expansion, diversification into international equities.

Weekly Updates • June 23, 2025

Chinese equities have been a major focus for investors in recent months, with catalysts ranging from DeepSeek’s artificial intelligence (AI) advancements to tariffs and trade negotiations.

Weekly Updates • June 16, 2025

Inflation’s effects on the economy, monetary policy, and the financial markets are wide-ranging.

Weekly Updates • June 9, 2025

There have been plenty of catalysts supporting the broader market’s recovery from the correction lows set last month.

Weekly Updates • June 2, 2025

There has been no shortage of trade policy curveballs thrown at the market since the White House announced shockingly high reciprocal tariffs on April 2.

Weekly Updates • May 27, 2025
First quarter reporting season was solid, but results didn’t offer much of a confidence boost in the outlook for the rest of the year.

Weekly Update • May 19, 2025
Investor sentiment dramatically changed after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and other members of the Trump administration announced a temporary pause on tariffs with China. 

Weekly Update • May 12, 2025

A busy week of earnings, trade negotiations, and monetary policy meetings left the S&P 500 down around 0.5%. 

Weekly Update • May 5, 2025
The municipal bond market faced significant volatility in April, driven by spillovers from a turbulent Treasury market. Treasury yields were pressured higher by rising inflation expectations; the Federal Reserve’s cautious policy stance, reduced foreign demand; hedge fund deleveraging, portfolio shifts toward cash, and structural illiquidity.