Regions' Thurber isn't expecting big troubles for the market in '26

Brandon Thurber, chief market strategist at Regions Asset Management, says climbing the proverbial wall of worry has "supercharged the market," making it hard "to find reasons to be anything less than positive and constructive for 2026." While he worries that the message could be that "The only thing you have to fear is fear itself" — and he describes in The Big Interview the real fears that he feels could blossom into problems — he doesn't expect conditions to change much from 2025, and is mostly encouraged about domestic and international markets.

Ken Berman, strategist at Gorilla Trades, says that he'd be foolish to say that now is a great time to buy after three strong years, but he believes the path of least resistance for the market is to go higher, and that's what he thinks will carry the current rally well into the new year. Like Thurber, Berman says he wouldn't want to get in the way of the market right now, and makes it clear that while there are reasons to be nervous he "wouldn't want to be short here."

John Cole Scott, president of CEF Advisors, looks at tax-loss selling season and whether it has started yet, noting that a few asset classes have largely been able to avoid situations where there will be widespread harvesting this year, while others — most notably business-development companies — may be poised for a lot of tax-driven reshuffling before year's end. Scott also answers some questions on the value of tax-loss harvesting if it means selling a fund you like, and how he recognizes yield traps and spots big discounts that are poor buying opportunities.