Outside the tech sector, AI has yet to pay off, according to Apollo Global Management chief economist Torsten Slok. Revenue per worker and profit margins are rising at the Magnificent 7 but flat across the other 493 S&P 500 companies. The value so far sits with AI infrastructure sellers. For the quarter ended September 30, Azure revenue grew 48% and Google Cloud 103%, while buyers of that capacity reported job cuts, not margin gains. The author argues the gains are stuck because workflows, reviews and approvals were built around people. Fixing that requires CEO ownership, rebuilt work processes and smarter model choices. BCG's Applied AI Index puts AI spending at 3.3% of revenue, up from 1.7% in late 2025. The author does not expect widespread, measurable benefits before the end of 2027.

Mastercard and S&P Global offer investors two different bets: consumer spending and capital markets. A Motley Fool columnist argues Mastercard is the more attractive stock for 2027. In fiscal 2025, Mastercard's revenue rose about 16.4% to nearly $32.8 billion, with net income near $15 billion and a net margin of roughly 45.6%. S&P Global's revenue grew about 7.9% to nearly $15.3 billion, with net income of $4.5 billion and a margin of roughly 29.2%. S&P Global carries less debt, with a debt-to-equity ratio of about 0.5 against nearly 2.5 for Mastercard. It also trades at a lower forward P/E. The author says Mastercard's higher valuation is justified. Over the past decade, it has outperformed S&P Global by more than 200 percentage points.

The Santa Claus rally window is still seven weeks away. It covers the final five trading days of December and the first two of January, and analysts say it is a short seasonal pattern, not a forecast. Since the 1950s, the S&P 500 has risen in this window in roughly 75% of years. It missed in 2024, when the index returned -0.9%. The index was up 0.27% on November 3 and is up 9.95% year to date. It sits about 3.6% below its 52-week high of 7,844.52, after losing 2.08% over the past week. Bulls point to the year's gains and the seasonal tailwind. Bears cite two weak windows, narrow leadership, and thin year-end liquidity. Earnings, policy, and rates will likely matter more than the calendar.