Looking for the stock market outlook for the first half of 2026? See what you should consider heading into the new year to help be prepared.

The market has performed exceptionally well in the past decade, well ahead of its historical track record. Since mid-December 2015, the widely followed benchmark of 500 large and profitable U.S. businesses has produced a total return of 290% (as of Dec. 17), amounting to a compound annual rate of 14.6%.

Peter Gratton, Ph.D., is a New Orleans-based editor and professor with over 20 years of experience in investing, risk management, and public policy. Peter began covering markets at Multex (Reuters) and has expanded his coverage to include investments ...

Over the past few years, just a few large-cap technology stocks have powered the stock market’s returns. That trend shows no signs of abating anytime soon, as demand for artificial intelligence continues to send the tech sector higher. The largest names ...

That would mark the third year in a row that the stock market has risen by double digits, following gains of 24.2% in 2023 and 23.3% in 2024. The S&P 500 is now up 77.5% since the end of 2022. Racking up three straight years of double-digit gains isn't as common as you might think.

On the Tuesday, October 28, 2025 episode of The Excerpt podcast: From Nvidia to Meta, tech giants have powered Wall Street to record highs. Yet even as stocks climb, trillions of dollars are being parked in money-market funds—a sign of investor unease.