The first half of 2026 saw markets power through a great deal of geopolitical uncertainty, and now earnings will be important to watch as the second half gets under way, says Christian Nolting, the Private Bank’s Global Chief Investment Officer. “We are positive for the markets because we think there's still some room to go for corporate earnings”, Christian says, noting that expectations for results are still quite high.
Expectations for rate increases from the Federal Reserve have softened a bit since last week’s monthly jobs report, which showed slower-than-expected hiring during the month of June. In the week ahead, Christian says he’ll be keeping an eye on German factory orders data, as well as figures on Chinese inflation.