Schwab Q2 2026 Retail Client Sentiment Report

Investors turn bearish on U.S. stock market but remain confident in their investing approach and likelihood of reaching goals.

Key findings:

A majority of clients (58%) are bearish on the U.S. stock market.
Geopolitical conflict and global macroeconomic conditions are the top investment concerns.
Confidence remains steady, with nearly half (49%) confident in making investment decisions and 41% planning to add money to their portfolios in Q2.
Traders are slightly less bearish than retail clients overall, with 45% bearish and 38% bullish.

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About the survey

The Charles Schwab Client Sentiment Survey is a quarterly study exploring the outlooks, expectations, plans, and points of view of clients at Charles Schwab. The Q2 2026 study included 1,128 retail clients and 1,415 active trader clients at Charles Schwab with retail assets of at least $2,000 and was fielded from March 24 through April 1, 2026. Active traders are defined as clients who made 80 or more trades, or 15 or more options, futures, or forex trades, in the prior year. An additional oversample of 293 Gen Z clients was collected for Gen Z-specific reporting.

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