Voya's Stein: Good economic growth and strong earnings will keep market rolling

Eric Stein, chief investment officer, Voya Investment Management, says that if the economy can muddle through until the Federal Reserve cuts rates, it will be positive for the stock market and the broader economy, allowing for 2026 to be another year that continues the winning streak for stocks. Stein says that he believes markets "get desensitized to similar news over time," and that the current markets may still be fixated on tariffs, but "general tariff noise" is now priced in and aren't enough to derail the market or create a recession. He says that economic changes, including the building deregulation story, will help small-cap stocks move from laggards to leaders.

Matt Freund, co-chief investment officer at Calamos Investments, expects the Federal Reserve to make "a couple of cuts this year, followed by two or three cuts next year," and that those moves will be made while inflation stays at current levels or rises slightly. Like Stein, Freund thinks changes in economic conditions will help the market broaden out to include small-caps, and while he is worried about the market facing a rough patch in the fall, he said the market should be able to enter 2026 with room to run.

Jeff Bishop, chief executive officer at RagingBull.com, says that when he examines the technical patterns he doesn't "see any reason to not want to continue to buy the market here." Bishop expects the market to suffer a 10 percent correction in the fall, but wind up higher. He thinks 2026 is shaping up as a year when the market could post low double-digit gains again.

Plus, Chuck answers a listener's question about new rules that allow private equity, private credit, cryptocurrency and other alternative assets in retirement plans, and whether that access is really a good idea.