Core Viewpoint - Goldman Sachs predicts that the global stock market will continue its bull market into 2026, but the index returns will be lower than in 2025, with a broader diversification in the market as AI benefits spread from core tech giants to a wider range of industries [1][2] Economic Environment - The global economy is expected to maintain a comprehensive expansion in 2026, supported by further moderate easing of monetary policy by the Federal Reserve, providing solid support for the stock market [2] Return Expectations - According to regional market capitalization weighting, the expected price return for the global stock market in 2026 is 13%, with a total return including dividends reaching 15%, primarily driven by earnings growth rather than valuation expansion [3][8] Market Cycle Stages - The stock market cycle is categorized into four stages: "Despair" (bear market), "Hope" (valuation-driven rebound), "Growth" (longest phase driven by earnings), and "Optimism" (increased investor confidence leading to valuation rises) [4] Market Trends - The report notes a significant broadening trend in the global stock market in 2025, which is expected to continue into 2026, breaking the previous highly concentrated market structure [9][10] Performance of Major Markets - In 2025, for the first time in nearly 15 years, U.S. stocks underperformed, with total returns in Europe, China, and Asia nearly double that of the U.S. market [10][11] Regional Performance Predictions - In 2026, U.S. stocks are expected to slightly underperform compared to global markets, with the MSCI Asia-Pacific (excluding Japan) and MSCI Emerging Markets indices projected to achieve total returns of 18%, surpassing the expected 15% for the S&P 500 [12] Investment Styles - The U.S. market remains dominated by growth stocks, while non-U.S. markets are seeing better performance from value stocks, indicating a shift from the past decade's growth stock dominance [13] Sector Performance - The trend of broadening returns is evident, with technology and finance leading in 2025, while real estate and healthcare lagged, reflecting the emergence of quality stocks within both growth and value sectors [14] Concentration of Earnings - The contribution of the top seven tech giants to the S&P 500's earnings is expected to decrease from 50% in 2025 to 46% in 2026, with the earnings growth of the remaining 493 companies increasing from 7% to 9%, indicating a further decline in industry concentration [15] AI Benefits Expansion - In 2026, the benefits of AI are expected to spread from core tech giants to a broader range of industries and companies, particularly those that can leverage AI and related technologies to enhance profitability and productivity [16][20] Market Dynamics - The current tech stock enthusiasm is not seen as a bubble, as today's tech giants possess stronger balance sheets and cash flows compared to the 2000 internet bubble [17] Investor Behavior - The correlation of stocks among the five major AI hyperscalers has dropped from 80% to 20%, indicating that investors are becoming more selective about which companies to invest in within the tech sector [18] Cross-Industry Growth - The spillover effects of tech capital expenditures are expected to drive growth in non-tech sectors such as industrials, materials, and finance, creating a cross-industry growth wave termed "AI + Industry" [21]