Last earnings season knocked it out of the park, and Wall Street's response is to crowd the plate and dare the quarter to throw harder.

The Trump administration is taking stakes in chip, defense, quantum, and rare earth companies that align with policy priorities. These “National Champion” stocks could see long-term competitive advantages that aren’t immediately apparent.

Last week, markets divided between mega caps, AI-linked tech, and energy driving the winning side, while small and mid caps sank lower. All eyes are now on housing, inflation, and retail sales data due out this week, along with Fed Chair Warsh’s congressional testimony.

Lower income households are getting a raise, increasing capex estimates signal confidence, and small businesses are catching up in their use of AI.

Private credit redemption pressure and default upticks are not likely to affect well-diversified secondary private equity portfolios.

The June payrolls report came in at 57,000, well short of expectations, and the prior months got revised downward for good measure. Hiring has been slowing all year. This report just made the trend harder to explain away.

Participants want caregiver planning support, but many lack confidence in key financial decisions. Advisors can help fill the gap.

Last week, America’s collective attention was divided between two major events: the country’s 250th birthday and the wedding of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. Both got wall-to-wall media coverage, while the June jobs report—which actually moved markets—settled for a press release and a shrug.

Jim Lydotes flips the timer on a retail energy deal, thinner consumer cushions, and how index rebalancing shows why investors should look beneath the market surface.

The back half of 2026 may hinge on six themes: AI spending, uneven growth, labor supply, sticky inflation, uneasy central banks, and volatile bond markets.