Dec 16 (Reuters) – Artificial intelligence is expected to remain the centerpiece of investment strategies, global brokerages outlined in their outlook for 2026, with the benchmark S&P 500 index on pace to post another year of gains. “We think fears of a collapse in the AI narrative are overdone and expect economic expansion to continue […]
Science
Factbox-From trend to mainstay: AI to cement its place at the core of 2026 investment strategies
Audio By Carbonatix
Dec 16 (Reuters) – Artificial intelligence is expected to remain the centerpiece of investment strategies, global brokerages outlined in their outlook for 2026, with the benchmark S&P 500 index on pace to post another year of gains.
“We think fears of a collapse in the AI narrative are overdone and expect economic expansion to continue for yet another year,” Barclays strategists said.
Still, risks loom: inflation surprises, lofty valuations and tariff tensions could spark corrections, even as analysts bet on AI and the U.S. Federal Reserve’s monetary policy easing to keep the bull market alive.
Strategists predict global economic growth to be resilient. Global GDP is expected to grow between 2.4% and 3.3%, as per estimates.
The benchmark index will climb nearly 12% to 7,490 by end-2026, marking a fourth straight year of advances if 2025 closes higher, according to a Reuters poll.
Following are forecasts from some top brokerages on economic growth and the performance of U.S. stocks in 2026:
Forecasts for stocks:
Brokerage 2026 S&P 500 index target
BofA Global Research 7,100
Societe Generale 7,300
Barclays 7,400
UBS Global Research 7,500
Jefferies 7,500
HSBC 7,500
J.P.Morgan 7,500
Canaccord Genuity 7,500
BNP Paribas 7,500
Citigroup 7,700
UBS Global Wealth Management 7,700
Evercore ISI 7,750
Morgan Stanley 7,800
Seaport Research Partners 7,800
Deutsche Bank 8,000
Oppenheimer Asset Management 8,100
Wells Fargo Investment Institute 7,400-7,600
Real GDP Growth:
Brokerage GLOBAL U.S. EURO AREA UK
Citigroup 2.6% 1.9% 0.8% 1.0%
Goldman Sachs 2.8% 2.3% 1.3% 1.1%
Morgan Stanley 3.2% 1.8% 1.1% 1.2%
TD Securities 2.8% 2.0% 0.8% 1.0%
Wells Fargo 2.8% 2.3% 1.2% 1.2%
UBS Global Wealth 3.1% 1.7% 1.1% 1.1%
Management
Deutsche Bank 3.1% 2.4% 1.1% 1.2%
HSBC 2.4% 1.7% 1.0% 1.2%
J.P.Morgan 2.5% 2.0% 1.3% 0.9%
BofA Global Research 3.3% 2.4% 1.0% 1.1%
UBS Global Research 3.1% 1.7% 1.1% 1.1%
* UBS Global Research and UBS Global Wealth Management are distinct, independent divisions in UBS Group
* Wells Fargo Investment Institute is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wells Fargo Bank
(Compiled by the Broker Research team in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)