Deutsche Bank’s equity strategists remain constructive on US equities, projecting the S&P 500 at 8000 by year-end 2026. Recent price action shows the S&P 500 and NASDAQ extending record runs, supported by AI optimism and semiconductor strength, even as some mega-cap names underperform. The bank’s broader macro outlook balances AI-driven optimism against geopolitical risks.

AI optimism underpins year-end target

"For markets, our equity strategists remain constructive, still seeing the S&P 500 at 8000 by year-end."

"For equities, US stocks held onto their risk-on tone yesterday, with the S&P 500 (+0.26%) and the NASDAQ (+0.42%) both posting an 8th consecutive advance to fresh records. That marks the first time in a year the S&P has achieved 8 consecutive daily gains. And if you look at the moves on a weekly basis, a positive gain this week would be the S&P’s 10th consecutive advance, which is something we haven’t seen since 1985."

"The Mag-7 (-1.03%) did decline amid outsized losses for Meta (-5.07%) and Tesla (-4.57%), while the Philly semiconductor index rose +1.06%. The latter included a large dispersion among the chipmakers as Nvidia (+6.26%) announced a new chip to enter the PC market. The news also boosted the likes of ARM Holdings (+15.73%) and Micron (+6.64%) but weighed on Intel (-4.67%) and Qualcomm (-8.78%)."

"In other tech news, Anthropic confidentially submitted its draft IPO filing, which follows the anticipation that OpenAI will also file for an IPO soon. Then shortly after the US close, we heard that Alphabet is set to raise $80bn through a package of equity offerings that includes a $10bn investment from Berkshire Hathaway. So funding of the AI capex boom is becoming an increasingly key topic for markets. The 1999 comparison in our World Outlook seemed quite apt yesterday."

"Across the Atlantic it was a more downbeat picture, with the STOXX 600 (-0.76%) seeing a sizeable decline, reflecting the region’s greater exposure to the energy shock and as European markets closed before some of the more constructive headlines came through. Euro STOXX 50 futures (+0.38%) are reversing some of yesterday’s loss overnight."

(This article was created with the help of an Artificial Intelligence tool and reviewed by an editor.)