On this episode of The Morning Filter podcast, Dave Sekera and Susan Dziubinski preview the December inflation numbers coming out this week and cover which other economic reports to watch. They discuss valuations of the big banks reporting in the next few days—including JP Morgan JPM, Bank of America BAC and Citigroup C—and expectations for earnings. President Trump wants to increase the defense budget; tune in to find out what that may mean for popular defense stocks like Lockheed Martin LMT, Northrop Grumman NOC, and others.

Dave shares his stock market outlook for 2026, including whether investors should overweight stocks today or pull back, which parts of the market are undervalued, and what risks could contribute to market volatility this year. They wrap the episode with stock picks to buy in January that Morningstar’s analysts like.

Episode Highlights

Watching Inflation, Retail Sales, Bank Earnings

Updates on STZ and Defense Stocks

2026 Stock Market Outlook

Stock Picks

Read about topics from this episode.

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5 Stocks to Buy in January 2026

The Morning Filter

5 Stocks to Buy in January 2026