Investing Ideas

Navigating a concentrated equity market in 2026

A small number of high-performing stocks have continued to drive the market’s return. Why that alone is not a reason for trepidation.

By: Denise Chisholm Roy Justice Nidhi Gupta
Updated: 1/16/2026
Key Takeaways
  • The U.S. equity market has become concentrated, with a handful of stocks driving a larger percentage of the market’s gain than at any time since the 1970s.
  • Although the last two periods of high market concentration ended in a recession and a burst valuation bubble, high concentration alone has not been a worrisome issue for investors.
  • Valuations matter, and the forward price-earnings ratios of stocks in the information technology sector are historically high, but significantly lower than they were before the technology stock bubble burst in the early 2000s.
  • Higher market concentration may also be an opportunity for active stock selection due to a higher variance of earnings surprises.
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