Stock Market Should Continue Upward Till Year-End After Passing ‘Stress Test’: Fundstrat’s Tom Lee

Fundstrat Global Advisors co-founder, head of research and managing partner Tom Lee says the major geopolitical events of the last weekend should be a boon to stocks.

In a new interview with CNBC, Tom Lee was asked his opinion on the US stock market being up to start the week after the US’s military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend.

“Well, you know, in some ways it’s not a surprise because, as you know, like Art Cashin had the adage, ‘Sell the buildup, buy the invasion.’ And I think today is an example of that – that markets were kind of already nervous and anxious, and we’d already seen de-risking, and the VIX was already elevated. So I think in some ways this is probably pretty typical.”

When asked how the events of the past weekend will shape his trading outlook for the rest of the year, Lee says the stock market should continue upward into 2026.

“In some ways, it actually strengthens the case for stocks to do better into year-end. Because at the start of this year, we would have said the US bombing a nuclear facility is a black swan. Oil would be $120, stocks should be down 10%. And then we have the event, and oil is not really surging, and stocks are up. So I’d almost say that you put another stress test into the market – we’ve seen it pass it. And I think it means stocks should do pretty well in Europe.”