After several years of strong market performance, it’s natural for investors to wonder what comes next. 

Will this continue? 
Are we due for a downturn? 
What should investors realistically expect in 2026? 

Let’s not pretend that not even the best analysts and researchers can look into the future and tell you exactly what markets will do next year. But what we can do, and what can offer both clues and confidence, is investigate the past. History offers something far more useful than predictions: perspective. 

Let’s explore some valuable insights and patterns from the past that might help frame more realistic expectations for 2026 and better prepare investors to respond thoughtfully to whatever this year brings. 

We’re witnessing a wave of announcements from companies across multiple sectors, promising trillions of dollars in capital investment into the United States. While some of these commitments remain aspirational, even a portion materializing would mark a significant economic shift. As investors, understanding the magnitude and interconnected nature of these developments can help us identify long-term opportunities. 

When you own shares of a company, whether it’s a single share or thousands of shares, two things you must deal with are proxy voting and corporate class action lawsuits. Both are often quite tedious, but the good news is that when you work with a Carnegie advisor, we can handle them for you. Here’s everything you need to know about proxy voting, corporate class action lawsuits and how Carnegie handles them.

Special purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs, have exploded in popularity this year, but most investors are still not familiar with these entities, sometimes called blank-check companies. 

On a monitor across from my desk, two screens share constantly updating market news from earnings reports to headlines. On my phone, Twitter flashes the latest evaluations and thoughts from, well, thought leaders. Bloomberg provides analytics, data and even more financial news. The flow of information is good and valuable. Everyone can access this information. It’s a far cry from years ago when we had to wait to receive faxes of earnings reports. Now financial information is certainly becoming more “democratized”. But these volumes of information are a challenge for individuals to process, even if those individuals are professionals.

At Carnegie, the word “counsel” in our name speaks to the expertise we bring to investment management. But how does the Carnegie approach work in practice? How do we synthesize information together as a team to help portfolio managers digest it and make decisions for our clients’ portfolios?