These two small-cap stocks look poised for a recovery heading into 2026.With only a couple of weeks left in 2025, the stock market looks set to close out another winning year. Through Dec. 16, the S&P 500 is up 15.7%, on the way to its third straight year of double-digit gains.Nobody knows for sure where the market is headed in 2026. Some investors see an AI bubble. Others believe the gains that have been dominated by the "Magnificent Seven" stocks will spread to the rest of the market, and some have argued ...

Group 1: Q3 Earnings Overview - The Q3 earnings season has started positively, with 91% of S&P 500 companies reporting results, and analysts expect a 13.1% increase in earnings per share, marking the fourth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth [2][9] - Initial expectations were lower, with analysts predicting a 7.9% increase in earnings per share as of September 30 [3] - Companies have reported more positive earnings surprises (82%) than negative ones (18%), with 77% of companies also reporting positive revenue surprises [9] Group 2: Notable Company Earnings - Instacart reported GAAP earnings per share of $0.51, exceeding estimates of $0.50, with revenue of $939 million, surpassing expectations of $933 million [6] - Constellation Energy's stock fell nearly 6% after reporting GAAP earnings per share of $2.97, missing estimates of $3.05, although revenue of $6.57 billion exceeded expectations [12] - Wendy's reported revenue of $549 million, a 3% decline year-over-year but above estimates of $534 million, with earnings per share of $0.24 beating expectations of $0.20 [16][17] - Block's shares fell 15% after reporting earnings per share of $0.54 on revenue of $6.11 billion, missing estimates of $0.68 per share and $6.31 billion in revenue [23] - Airbnb's stock rose 5% as it reported 133.6 million nights booked, a 9% increase year-over-year, driven by international bookings [32][33] Group 3: Industry Trends and Challenges - The earnings growth rate for Q3 is on track to increase from Q2, driven by tech enthusiasm around artificial intelligence and ongoing tariff concerns [10] - Consumer-facing companies are experiencing pressures from affordability and sentiment, with mentions of government shutdown impacts increasing [11] - Under Armour reported a net loss of $0.04 per share, with revenue declining 4.7% year-over-year, attributed to challenging consumer demand [35][36]