The Economy Is Slowing. So Why Are Stocks Rising? #StockMarket #Economy #Investing

The economy is slowing. Debt is high. Treasury yields are elevated. Valuations aren't cheap. So why are stocks still rising? The answer may have less to do with today's economic growth — and more to do with what investors expect from **future corporate earnings, cash flow and productivity**. In this Market Atlas video, we examine the surprising disconnect between the economy and the stock market, including: • Why a slowing economy doesn't necessarily mean falling corporate profits • Why stocks are really claims on future earnings and cash flow • How productivity and corporate capital spending could support future earnings • Why the 10-year Treasury yield matters for stock valuations • Why there is no magical 5% Treasury yield level that automatically means a stock-market crash • How higher borrowing costs can eventually pressure valuations • Why investors face risk in cash, bonds AND stocks • Whether today's stock-market optimism is justified — or whether investors are becoming too optimistic The key question isn't simply whether the market will crash. It's whether future earnings and cash flows are strong enough to justify today's prices. Neither the bulls nor the bears have the entire story. The important thing is watching the data: earnings, cash flow, credit, interest rates and valuations. Sources: U.S. Treasury — Daily Treasury Yield Curve Rates: [U.S. Treasury data](https://home.treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/TextView?field_tdr_date_value=2026&type=daily_treasury_yield_curve&utm_source=chatgpt.com) Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis — 10-Year Treasury Constant Maturity Rate: [FRED 10-Year Treasury Yield](https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/dgs10?utm_source=chatgpt.com) U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Q2 2026 Productivity: [BLS Productivity Data](https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2026/productivity-up-2-2-percent-from-second-quarter-2025-to-second-quarter-2026.htm?utm_source=chatgpt.com) Reuters — Rising Treasury yields and t

Added 8 Sept 2026