10/14/2026
Hi everyone,
I wanted to share IG’s 2026 Third Quarter Market Review, as I think there are some genuinely encouraging takeaways for long-term investors.
Equity markets continued to show resilience through the third quarter. Corporate earnings and business investment remained supportive, helping markets absorb the pressure from higher interest rates. In Canada, the S&P/TSX Composite advanced 1.1% during the quarter, while the S&P 500 gained 2% in U.S. dollar terms.
Fixed income had a more difficult quarter. Rising bond yields put pressure on existing bond prices, particularly longer-term bonds, and the FTSE Canada Universe Bond Index declined 3% during the quarter. While that can be frustrating in the short term, there is another side to the story: higher yields mean bonds are now offering greater return potential going forward.
For me, the important message is to separate the short term from the long term. Markets will always go through periods where interest rates, inflation, geopolitics and other headlines create volatility. For money invested with a longer-term horizon, particularly beyond three years, the combination of resilient corporate earnings and more attractive bond yields gives us good reasons to remain constructive and disciplined.
As always, the right investment mix depends on your individual financial plan, time horizon and comfort with market fluctuations. If you have questions about how any of this relates to your own portfolio, please feel free to reach out.
You can read the full 2026 Third Quarter Market Review here or watch the 5 minute video:
https://www.igprivatewealth.com/en/insights-and-ideas/2026-third-quarter-market-review
All the best,
Darcy
The second quarter of 2026 (and the first half of the year more broadly) offered investors a reminder that markets are often driven by fundamentals rather than headlines. Geopolitical tensions, volatile energy prices and shifting interest-rate expectations dominated the news cycle, yet global equiti...