Citadel Securities Sees Three Bullish Drivers for U.S. Stock Rally in H2 2026

According to Business Insider, Citadel Securities equity division head Scott Rubner identified retail trading momentum, technical resets, and seasonal patterns as key tailwinds for U.S. stocks in the second half of 2026. "The path of least resistance remains higher," Rubner said.

Retail trading remains robust, with Citadel—which handles approximately 35% of total U.S. retail volumes—observing record participation levels. The firm recorded its largest single-day retail buy order on SpaceX's IPO day, marking a 50% increase over the previous record. Nine of Citadel's top 10 busiest retail trading days occurred within the past month.

Technical resets compound bullish tailwinds. The June expiration coincides with quarterly and half-yearly mark-to-market events; options expiration on June 19 involved $8.3 trillion in notional exposure. Beginning July 1, a new asset allocation cycle will release fresh capital from pension contributions and passive rebalancing. Historically, the S&P 500 has closed higher in 11 of the past 11 Julys, while the Nasdaq-100 gained in 17 of the past 18 Julys.