Schwab Capital Market Assumptions 2026

Schwab forecasts 5.9% a year from US equities over the next decade, 0.1 percentage points below the median of the 14 houses we track.

Source: Long-Term Capital Market Expectations 2026. All figures are 10-year nominal geometric returns in USD. Reviewed 16 August 2026.

Asset classSchwabMedian of 14Difference
US equities5.9%6.0%-0.1pp
International developed7.0%7.2%-0.2pp
Emerging markets8.1%7.7%+0.4pp
US aggregate bonds4.8%4.7%+0.1pp
Close to the median on every asset class, which makes it a reasonable proxy for the consensus if you only want to carry one set of numbers.

Where Schwab sits among the 14

On US equities, Schwab is the 7th most cautious of the 14 houses publishing a point estimate, at 5.9% against a range of 3.1% to 7.6%.

HouseUS equities
Research Affiliates3.1%
Invesco4.7%
BlackRock5.2%
PGIM5.2%
Morningstar5.3%
Verus5.4%
Schwab5.9%
Amundi6.1%
AQR6.3%
Meketa6.4%
J.P. Morgan6.7%
Northern Trust6.8%
Callan7.3%
BNY Mellon7.6%

For the full comparison across all four asset classes, where the houses agree and why they disagree, see what 16 firms expect from the next decade.

Build a portfolio on these numbers

Portfolio Lab optimises across 27 asset classes on J.P. Morgan's 2026 assumptions, and lets you override any expected return with a different house's view to see how much the answer actually moves.

Open the optimiser

Figures as published by Schwab in Long-Term Capital Market Expectations 2026, reviewed 16 August 2026 and re-checked when each house issues a new edition. Portfolio Lab is not affiliated with Schwab. This is analysis, not investment advice.