MACRO PULSE
2026 Outlook: Charting the Year Ahead

As investors look to 2026, markets are defined by tension. Our Global Market Strategy team shares their outlook.

     

From the Global Market Strategy Team: How a U.S. government shutdown hits the strategist desk Get Our Insights >

     

Smart insights drive stronger portfolios

We leverage proprietary research and collaborate with investment teams across New York Life Investments to offer timely answers to the questions facing investors today in key areas:

     

        

Macro Pulse

Get the latest global, economic, geopolitical, and asset allocation views

   

   

Weekly note featured chart

Private markets entered 2026 on firmer footing, with deal activity rebounding alongside a more supportive rate environment. We recently published our semi-annual private markets outlook. The report explores the macroeconomic conditions shaping private markets and offers our key takeaways for investors on private equity, private credit, real estate, and real assets. 

   

  

Read Macro Pulse Report: Dog Days, Data Shifts                         

  

Extending the Cycle: Growth and Opportunity Across Private Markets

Private markets are entering 2026 with renewed momentum. Lauren Goodwin and Sarah Hirsch preview the 2026 Global Private Markets Outlook, sharing their outlook across private markets asset classes and highlighting where investors may find resilience and long-term value.

Extending the Cycle: Growth and Opportunity in Private Markets

Private markets remain a core and growing component of multi-asset portfolios. We expect a constructive year ahead, with opportunity increasingly defined by selectivity, diversification, and transition-oriented exposure.

   

   

Geopolitics & Politics

Understand why geopolitics matter more today and how investors can adapt

Key investor questions:

  • How is the geopolitical landscape different today?
  • How can investors account for geopolitical risk?
  • What are the risks that would most disrupt consensus? 
Geopolitics world map

   

     

   

Megatrends
Make the future state tangible for investing today

2025 | Trust or Bust: The Next Era of Global Debt Sustainability

The choices governments make will shape long-term capital markets assumptions around inflation, interest rates, and potential growth; and will influence asset allocation.

A global debt sustainability framework:

        

     

Private Markets

Navigate the next phase of global private markets

Key investor questions:

  • How does an extended but maturing private markets cycle change where investors should be selective across private equity, private credit, real estate, and real assets?
  • Where are the most compelling opportunities as policy support, easing financial conditions, and elevated long-term rates reshape valuations, deal activity, and underwriting discipline? 
  • How are global transitions such as AI, digitization, electrification, and supply chain reconfiguration creating long-term, capital-intensive opportunities across private markets?

 

Prospective investors should be aware that investments in private funds or alternative investment strategies are suitable only for qualified investors who do not require liquidity and who can bear the economic risk, including the potential for a complete loss, of their investment. Investors are encouraged to consult their tax or legal advisors before making such investments.

 


Video: Private Markets Outlook - Extending the Cycle

     

   

About Global Market Strategy 

Our team of market strategists connects macroeconomics to asset allocation. We provide actionable insight into market-driving events, structural themes, and portfolio construction to empower investment decision-making.

      

Lauren Goodwin, CFA
Chief Market Strategist

Julia Hermann, CFA
Global Market Strategist

Michael LoGalbo, CFA
Global Market Strategist

Sarah Hirsch
Global Market Strategist

      


Subscribe to receive the latest macroeconomic commentary from New York Life Investments.

Subscribing gives consent to receive personalized online ads from NYL Investments.