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Strategists Lift S&P 500 Targets on AI Earnings

By Stocks Desk · 2026-09-09 · Updated 2026-09-10 05:58 UTC
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Illustration: Tradingbird

Major strategists from Barclays, HSBC, and others are raising S&P 500 targets to the 7,950-8,100 range, driven by resilient Big Tech earnings and expectations for a $1.1 trillion surge in AI infrastructure spending by 2027. This bullish shift highlights a growing market divergence, where AI-centric stocks significantly outperform the broader index, which has seen non-AI sectors lag behind despite improving general earnings beats.

  • According to new details from GN stocks/sp500, Barclays analyst Venu Krishna has lifted 2026 EPS estimates to $365, projecting that hyperscaler capital expenditures will surge by 67% to exceed $1.1 trillion in 2027. The report also highlights a widening performance gap, noting that while AI stocks have driven the index up 11.55% year-to-date, the broader market excluding AI enablers has gained just 4.48%.

    Source: GN stocks/sp500

  • Barclays, HSBC, and Fundstrat raise year-end forecasts, citing resilient corporate earnings and sustained artificial intelligence investment.

    Source: GN markets/earnings (en-US)
Based on reporting by GN markets/earnings (en-US) and GN stocks/sp500, compiled by the Tradingbird desk.

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