Global Investment Outlook 2026

On this month’s Talking Markets podcast, Jeff Schulze of ClearBridge Investments shares insights from the ClearBridge Recession Risk Dashboard, explores the outlook for US equities in 2026, and discusses how AI-driven capital expenditures compare to past innovation cycles. Get his perspective on economic trends and where opportunities may lie in the year ahead.

ClearBridge Investments: Renewables form a relatively high percentage of power both being built today and planned for the immediate future. Biodiversity, AI, defense and nuclear are also key issues for 2026.

ClearBridge Investments: Shifting geopolitics are causing policymakers in Europe and Japan to step up fiscal spending to gain self-sufficiency and generate growth.

Lower oil prices, earnings growth and diverse opportunities in 2026: Templeton Global Investments explores these key themes in its latest Global Equity Pulse.

Royce Investment Partners: Portfolio Managers Lauren Romeo and Jim Harvey join CEO and Co-CIO Chris Clark and Co-CIO Francis Gannon to discuss why they’re constructive on US small-cap’s prospects in 2026 and how they’re positioning their portfolios.

The probability of strong earnings and growth-friendly policies should make emerging markets attractive to investors in 2026, in the view of Templeton Global Investments.

Miles Lewis, Chip Skinner, Kavitha Venkatraman, Steven McBoyle and Francis Gannon talk about what they see in store for US small-cap stocks in the coming year.

Templeton Global Investments suggests the outlook for Chinese equities in 2026 is bright and are positive on the semiconductor, consumer discretionary, power equipment and biotech sectors.

Artificial-intelligence-related investment is one of the trends likely to sustain the rise of emerging market equities in 2026, as policy support also contributes to a favorable backdrop.

India is poised for earnings recovery in 2026, as supportive fiscal and monetary policies continue to underpin the resilience of domestic consumption.

ClearBridge Investments: Shifting geopolitics are causing policymakers in Europe and Japan to step up fiscal spending to gain self-sufficiency and generate growth.

Franklin Equity Group suggests markets seem to be transitioning from a narrow, liquidity-driven regime to one shaped by fundamentals, innovation, and active management.

Franklin Equity Group’s Grant Bowers suggests the US economy may be approaching a Goldilocks equilibrium in 2026, supported by stable growth, anchored inflation and policy tailwinds.

After two years of elections and policy upheaval, Templeton Global Investments expects 2026 to bring a period of greater stability, as the policy, macro and industry conditions now settle into a clearer framework.

Recognising growth trends as they reach an inflection point is one of the hallmarks of successful investing. One such trend is the profound transformation of the Indian consumer landscape.

Franklin Equity Group’s Matt Cioppa suggests we’re in the midst of a multi-year AI super-cycle, and this will keep us optimistic on the technology sector in 2026.

ClearBridge Investments expects a broadening of market participation that should benefit more diversified portfolios in 2026.

2025 is ending with a range of worries for the stock market—which is no surprise, observes Putnam Equity’s Shep Perkins. But it’s important to also recognize what could go right for the market in 2026.

ClearBridge Investments believes the outlook for infrastructure in 2026 remains robust, driven by the accelerating demand for power and data fueled by AI.

ClearBridge Investments believes emerging market equities have turned a corner, showing strong performance after years of lagging returns.

While US investors focus on growth, international markets may remain the best places to find value opportunities in 2026, says Franklin Mutual Series.

Innovation will reshape the global economy in 2026, according to Franklin Equity Group’s Jonathan Curtis. In this paper, he suggests AI, automation and digital infrastructure have moved beyond the tech sector to become engines of value creation across every industry.

Jeff Schulze, Head of Economic and Market Strategy at ClearBridge Investments, discusses key spending, employment and other policy factors he is following as we look forward to 2026.

Western Asset: Emerging markets appear well positioned to present selective opportunities in 2026, as strong fundamentals, attractive valuations and evolving geopolitical risks shape investment prospects across currencies, sovereign debt and corporate assets.

The Bank of Japan appears to be an outlier, anticipating two interest rate hikes in 2026, while North American and European Central Banks are likely pausing and calling for steady as she goes. Get an overview of central bank actions and the likely trajectory in the months ahead from Franklin Templeton Fixed Income.

Looking ahead to 2026, hear from Franklin Templeton Fixed Income CIO Sonal Desai, and several portfolio managers as they share their market expectations.

Several factors point toward potential global growth acceleration in 2026. However, employment weakness poses a meaningful risk. Brandywine Global experts share what this sideways outlook may mean for the economy, financial markets, and cross-country divergences.

Emerging markets defied expectations in 2025 amid a surprisingly favorable global environment and several historically troubled economies enacting significant structural reforms. Our Franklin Templeton Fixed Income team share their 2026 outlook for emerging market debt and assess whether these positive trends will continue.

Looking ahead to 2026, Franklin Templeton Fixed Income CIO Sonal Desai says that macro is back in the driver’s seat for financial markets’ performance and investment strategies.

The Franklin Templeton Fixed Income team believes the US economy is expected to remain resilient in 2026, while the euro area faces cautious optimism. Japan’s growth is underpinned by fiscal expansion and robust private demand. Find out more in the latest “Macro Views.”

Markets continue to offer attractive opportunities for income generation and selective capital appreciation, according to Franklin Income Investors CIO Ed Perks. In this article he discusses his outlook for 2026 and where he sees opportunities and risks.

Amid steady economic growth and healthy corporate fundamentals, Franklin Templeton Investment Solutions sees reasons to prefer equities over fixed income as 2026 begins.

As the Fed resumes cutting interest rates, Ed Perks, CIO of Franklin Income Investors, provides an update on the current investment landscape. He also shares his insights and outlook on the fixed income and equity markets, with a particular emphasis on diversifying for income.

Geopolitical risks remain elevated as the markets continue to digest the impact of trade tariffs. What does this mean for private markets? Franklin Templeton Institute shares its outlook.

Clarion Parters believes overseas investors remain keen on European logistics and expect global interest to build further in 2026.

After years of US mega-cap dominance, global equity markets are changing course. Correlations have fallen, monetary policies are diverging, and regional drivers are reshaping returns. This analysis explores what’s behind these shifts, the opportunities we believe are likely to emerge, and why we believe global diversification deserves a fresh look in 2026.