Review of Markets over 2025

A full-year recap of the drivers and performance for major global markets and asset classes in 2026.

The Year in Markets

Markets Recon's 2025 Year-End Review is here

Markets entered 2025 with both optimism and unease. US equities rallied in January as softer inflation - core CPI eased to 3.2% YoY - and strong bank earnings revived risk appetite, and Donald Trump’s return to the White House helped the S&P 500 enjoy its best start to a presidential term since 1985.

Yet there was caution beneath the gains. Asset managers flagged stretched US valuations and early rotations into defensives, even as consensus forecasts pointed to ~10% upside for the S&P 500 in 2025 - upside that did ultimately materialise.

January also delivered a sobering reminder of longer-term fragilities: global temperatures breached 1.6°C above pre-industrial levels for the first time. Late in the month, volatility returned when the introduction of China’s DeepSeek AI model wiped $589bn off NVIDIA’s market value, forcing investors to reassess AI pricing power, concentration risk, and diversification beyond mega-cap tech.

Latest Outlooks

Japan Market Outlook 2026

Japan’s economy remained resilient in 2025, with the impact of U.S. tariff policies proving relatively modest. Following a rate increase in January, the Bank of Japan kept its policy rate unchanged...

2026 Market Outlook: In a snapshot

This year has shown that markets can defy expectations, climbing to record highs even as volatility  persisted. Looking ahead, 2026 looks set to start with a constructive backdrop for Asia and  Eme...

Rethinking Market Outlooks: A New Approach to Investing in 2026

Markets are shifting in ways predications can’t capture. Lauren Goodwin weighs in on why investors need new frameworks – not forecasts – to navigate a world where old playbooks no longer apply.

EM Equity Outlook 2026: From Rebound to Rotation

Emerging markets enter 2026 having moved beyond a simple rebound and into a broader rotation of leadership, quality, and opportunity.

Long-Term Capital Market Assumptions

The 30th annual edition explores how rising economic nationalism and fiscal activism create both challenges and silver linings for investors. Technology adoption will provide a near-term boost to p...

Capital Market Assumptions

Why a new economic regime calls for a reassessment of risk and rewards

PNC Healthcare: Capital Markets Update - September 2025

Explore market data and capital markets trends for nonprofit healthcare providers as the economic backdrop and interest rate outlook evolves.

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