Fundamental, Webinar

Stock Market at All-Time Highs: Should Investors Brace for a Pullback?

Thursday, August 7, 2025

10:00 AM ET | 7:00 AM PT | 3:00 PM BST

Equity markets are once again setting all-time highs—prompting both optimism and concern among investors. With valuations stretched and potential volatility from trade policy uncertainty, investors face growing questions about whether this rally has room to run or if a sharp near-term pullback is on the horizon.

Join CFRA’s esteemed analysts, Paul Beland, CFA, Head of Global Research-Wealth Management, Sam Stovall, CFP, Chief Investment Strategist, and Drew Wells, CMT, Technical Analyst, for a webinar where they combine fundamental and technical research to assess the current market environment.

They will also examine the key drivers behind the recent market strength, identify potential warning signs from market internals and macro indicators, and discuss strategies to help advisors navigate elevated valuations and risks associated with volatility.

During this session, we will discuss:

Fundamental drivers behind recent stock performance
Macro and sector-level risk factors to monitor
Technical signals that may indicate market exhaustion or continued strength
How investors can construct risk management frameworks to trim positions, rebalance, and seek defensive opportunities without early market exits.

Speakers

Paul Beland, CFA

Moderator, Global Head of Research - Wealth Management

Paul Beland, who holds a CFA designation, is currently serving as the Global Head of Research - Wealth Management at CFRA. Before joining CFRA in 2017, he worked as a sell-side equity research analyst for over ten years with Citigroup and Lazard Capital Markets in New York City. During his tenure, he covered various sectors, including Accounting and Valuation, Education Services, and Media. He completed his Bachelor of Arts in Economics with honors and distinction from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Additionally, he is a CFA charterholder.

Sam Stovall, CFP

Chief Investment Strategist

Sam is Chief Investment Strategist. Sam Stovall is an analyst, publisher, and communicator of CFRA’s outlooks for the economy, market, and sectors. He is the author of The Seven Rules of Wall Street and The S&P Guide to Sector Investing. He also writes weekly “Sector Watch” and “Investment Policy” reports on CFRA’s MarketScope Advisor platform and maintains the Industry Momentum and Seasonal Rotation portfolios. His work is also found in CFRA’s flagship weekly newsletter The Outlook.

Drew Wells, CMT

Technical Analyst

Drew Wells, CMT, CIMA® is a Market Analyst with Lowry Research, where he focuses on applying the firm’s proprietary methodology into actionable content. Prior to joining Lowry, he started in the business as a Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch in 2013 where he worked primarily with retail wealth clients in portfolio construction and sales. From there, he went to City National Bank Trust & Wealth Management as a Portfolio Manager, working with a wide variety of clients in portfolio management and technical analysis for the firm. Most recently, he was a Research Analyst for Potomac Fund Management, Inc. where he produced written and recorded research content for Financial Advisors. Drew holds a B.S. in Marketing from Coastal Carolina University and is both a Chartered Market Technician (CMT) and Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA®) certificant.