Last year, the S&P 500 surged 16% cumulatively. Driven by economic resilience, interest rate cuts, and the boom in artificial intelligence, the benchmark index hit a record high 39 times. The Dow Jones Index has cumulatively increased 13% throughout the year, while the Nasdaq Composite Index jumped 20%. Wall Street analysts and strategists predict that the feast will continue in 2026. Bank of America expects the S&P 500 to reach 7,100 points by the end of this year, up 3.7% from the 2025 closing level. J.P. Morgan and Goldman Sachs expect the benchmark index to reach 7,500 points and 7,600 points, respectively. Some investors say their bullish attitude alone is sufficient reason to remain cautious, given past gains. They pointed out that from the beginning of 2023 to New Year's Eve, the S&P 500 index has surged about 80% cumulatively, and this rapid upward trend is difficult to maintain in most cases. Steve Sosnick, chief strategist at Yingtou Securities, said: “When the market generally believes everything will work out, investors should at least have a little bit of skepticism.”

Last year, the S&P 500 surged 16% cumulatively. Driven by economic resilience, interest rate cuts, and the boom in artificial intelligence, the benchmark index hit a record high 39 times. The Dow Jones Index has cumulatively increased 13% throughout the year, while the Nasdaq Composite Index jumped 20%. Wall Street analysts and strategists predict that the feast will continue in 2026. Bank of America expects the S&P 500 to reach 7,100 points by the end of this year, up 3.7% from the 2025 closing level. J.P. Morgan and Goldman Sachs expect the benchmark index to reach 7,500 points and 7,600 points, respectively. Some investors say their bullish attitude alone is sufficient reason to remain cautious, given past gains. They pointed out that from the beginning of 2023 to New Year's Eve, the S&P 500 index has surged about 80% cumulatively, and this rapid upward trend is difficult to maintain in most cases. Steve Sosnick, chief strategist at Yingtou Securities, said: “When the market generally believes everything will work out, investors should at least have a little bit of skepticism.”