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This week’s highlights:
As expected, it was a quiet week in the markets. Despite yet another flare-up in the Iran war, stock and bond markets largely treaded water ahead of key inflation news and the second-quarter earnings season.
If there was any suspense, it was around the US IPO of South Korean memory chip giant SK Hynix SKHYV, whose stock has tripled this year, even with a 25% drop in the last few weeks. The sale was a test for the highly cyclical memory-stock industry amid expectations of supply-side growth over the next few years to meet massive AI-driven demand. The verdict: Investors still seem hungry for AI infrastructure.
The huge demand for the SK Hynix sale reflects a growing theme of globalization. In the age of tariffs, globalization was pronounced dead in favor of US onshoring, but as Morningstar Index’s Dan Lefkovitz writes, AI has been countering protectionist forces. He looks at what the numbers show about where US companies are getting revenue and the implications for investors.
The third quarter is still young, and we have outlooks for the second half of 2026. The first, from Morningstar Wealth’s Dominic Pappalardo, presents key themes for investors to watch, along with his take on opportunities in the bond market. Meanwhile, Morningstar chief US strategist Dave Sekera has his take on how the stock market looks at midyear. He thinks risks are more balanced, but investors need to be selective. Find out here where Sekera thinks investors should be hunting.
As always, be sure to visit our Markets page for our latest coverage and live stock market updates, along with our full weekly calendar of key upcoming data and events.
The author or authors do not own shares in any securities mentioned in this article. Find out about Morningstar’s editorial policies.
