The S&P 500 is barely up in 2026 — but does that mean the stock market is stalling?

In this week’s Fastest 4 Minutes in Finance, Scott Inman breaks down why headline index performance may not tell the full story — and why stock diversification in 2026 could be more important than ever.

While the S&P 500 is up less than 1% year-to-date, nearly 74% of companies have beaten earnings expectations, and Q4 earnings growth is tracking above 13%. At the same time, market leadership is rotating away from last year’s winners like technology and communication services toward energy, materials, and consumer staples.

We also explore:

The rise of the “S&P 493” (excluding the Magnificent Seven)

Why small caps and international stocks are showing improving earnings outlooks

The growing demand for active equity ETFs

The risks of overconcentration in market-cap weighted index funds

Why working with a financial advisor can help you build an opportunistic portfolio

The S&P 500 is a benchmark — but it’s not the entire market. In years when leadership rotates, diversification stops being boring and starts being powerful.

📌 Watch now to understand what’s really happening beneath the surface of the market in 2026.

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