Zacks Investment Management

Manufacturing in U.S. sees disconnect between rising output and shipments vs. declining jobs; U.S. commercial loans show robust growth; SEC investigates private credit industry.

The market recovery feels premature, since the Iran conflict is far from settled. But stocks don’t need a resolution to rise, they just need conditions to stop deteriorating faster than anticipated.

Central banks were poised to cut rates at the beginning of 2026. The Iran conflict has led to policy revision in most countries, but U.S. policy and circumstances differ in key ways.

Stocks are on an extended winning streak driven by fundamentals, consumer sentiment hits all-time low, weak housing market reinforced by supply problem.