Wall Street is increasingly optimistic about the stock market heading into 2026 after the S&P 500 (^GSPC) and Dow (^DJI) hit record highs in the same week the Federal Reserve cut interest rates.

Adding to the momentum, highly anticipated comments from Chair Jerome Powell during the central bank’s press conference following its two-day policy meeting came across as less hawkish than expected.

“I actually thought he was kind of a chickenhawk in his statement. I didn’t see it as very hawkish at all,” David Waddell, CEO of Waddell & Associates, told Yahoo Finance.

Waddell noted that President Trump will seek to replace Powell, whose term ends in May, with someone who favors lower rates.

“Trump’s just going to replace him with a dove. So we’re gonna get a lot of monetary stimulus. We’re going to get a lot of fiscal stimulus,” added Waddell.