Investors See Bright Side in Economic Outlook, Push Stocks to New Highs

Investors opened 2026 feeling optimistic about the economy, lifting both the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average to fresh records in the first full week of the new year. 

Friday’s jobs report, which showed the U.S.

added fewer jobs than expected in December, wasn’t enough to weaken confidence that this year will be better than the last. The economy is growing at a healthy clip, and consumer sentiment is inching higher, according to a preliminary University of Michigan survey.