Editorial companion

What stands out

Marta Norton, Empower’s chief investment strategist, calls the interaction of interest rates, bond yields, corporate earnings and growth stocks the defining narrative of 2026 as markets head into 2027. She frames 2026 as a year when rising yields and sticky rates forced investors to choose between income and growth, and she flags earnings momentum as the tiebreaker that will determine market leadership. The clip matters because a major retail-advice firm is describing 2026 as a cohesive, multi-factor market story rather than a series of isolated shocks.