Research
Halloween Special: What Could Spook Markets | Weekly Market Commentary | 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. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of things to worry about. Just because risks haven’t affected markets much lately — subprime auto loan bankruptcies notwithstanding — doesn’t mean they won’t in the future. In that “spirit,” as Halloween approaches, we discuss what scares us about the economy and financial markets.
Cockroaches, Canaries, and Credit Markets | Weekly Market Commentary | October 20, 2025
Corporate credit markets represent a vital component of the global financial system, providing businesses with essential capital for operations, growth, and strategic initiatives. These markets can, in general, be segmented into four distinct categories: investment-grade bonds, high-yield bonds, bank loans, and private credit.
Happy Anniversary Bull Market | Weekly Market Commentary | October 13, 2025
Year three of this bull market was a strong one. After a bit of a slow start — the S&P 500 rose 21.4% during the first year of this bull compared with the average first-year gain near 40% — year two was a catch-up year with a 32.2% gain vs. a second-year average of 12.4%. Then in year three, a year that had produced an average gain of only 5.2% historically, the S&P 500 rallied 16.1% (through October 8, 2025, before Friday’s sell-off). As noted in the “After a Strong Third Year, This Bull is Ahead of Schedule” chart, the nearly 89% gain in the S&P 500 since this bull market began on October 12, 2022 (excluding dividends), is well ahead of the average and median three-year advances for all bull markets since 1950.
Outlook
Outlook 2025: Pragmatic Optimism
Outlook 2025: Pragmatic Optimism By LPL Financial Research Looking back, 2024 clearly echoed many of the themes from 2023. By and large, the economy continued to defy expectations and surprised once again. Stocks continued their strong performance, driven by powerful...
Outlook 2024: A Turning Point
In 2024, we believe markets will make a definitive turn to a more recognizable place. En route, the transition will be marked by meaningful shifts in a few key areas. Inflation is going down. The risk of a recession is bubbling up again as the effect of post-pandemic...
Outlook 2023: Finding Balance
Through all the challenges, newfound opportunities, and every high and low we’ve experienced during the last couple of years, it’s no surprise why we might be striving for more balance.
Weekly Market Insights
Weekly Market Insights | Happy Q3 Results in Upbeat Market
Stocks rose last week thanks to a full slate of upbeat third-quarter corporate results and mild inflation data, which helped soften concerns over trade tensions with China. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index gained 1.92 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite Index rose...
Weekly Market Insights | Stocks Boost on Strong Q3 Results
Stocks pushed higher last week, buoyed by strong third-quarter results posted by several money center banks. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index gained 1.70 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite Index rose 2.14 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 1.56...
Weekly Market Insights | Trade Concerns Halt Stock Rally
Stocks fell last week amid concerns about trade with China, following an unsteady rally to record highs over the first half of the week. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index fell 2.43 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite Index declined 2.53 percent. The Dow Jones...





