Executive Summary Equity markets stalled somewhat in June but still produced positive returns through the second quarter and first half of 2026. While the conflict is not fully resolved, its cooling led oil prices to fall back to near pre-conflict levels, potentially providing some respite for consumers struggling with higher prices. SpaceX went public last month as the first of the highly anticipated mega-cap IPOs, potentially setting the stage for OpenAI and Anthropic to test markets in the...

Executive Summary Equity markets continued to climb throughout May, with many indexes closing near all-time highs despite the absence of a resolution in the US-Iran conflict. Strong corporate earnings, positive artificial intelligence (AI) momentum, renewed interest in quantum computing, and excitement over the potential upcoming initial public offerings (IPOs) are helping to drive optimism. Technology stocks continue to lead markets higher; however, leadership has broadened out beyond the...

Executive Summary Equity markets rallied throughout April, looking past geopolitical issues and inflation concerns, as many equity indexes closed the month near all-time highs. Positive corporate earnings and announcements of record artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure spending helped fuel robust equity market returns for the month. The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady in its April meeting, as expected; however, the meeting will be remembered as the last in which Jerome...