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LPL Research’s 2026 Strategic Asset Allocation
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...
Five Reasons the Run in Emerging Markets Could Continue
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...
Unearthing the Metals Melt-Up
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...
Evaluating Our 2025 Forecasts: Equity, Fixed Income, and the U.S. Economy
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...
Policy Tailwinds and Artificial Intelligence to Power Stocks in 2026
The bull market appears poised to extend its run in 2026, fueled by ongoing enthusiasm around AI and further easing of monetary policy from the Federal Reserve (Fed). However, with valuations running high and midterm election years often bringing more volatility,...
LPL Research Outlook 2026: The Policy Engine
In 2025, we observed a market environment where fiscal and monetary policy decisions, rather than traditional business fundamentals, were the primary drivers of market direction. This shift means that policy influence and market momentum have become significantly more...
More Keys for Markets in 2026: LPL Market Outlook Sneak Peek
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...
Early Keys to 2026
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....
From Micro to Macro: A Busy Week of Market-Moving Data
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. Monetary policy captured most of...
Cockroaches, Canaries, and Credit Markets
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...