So, if you’ve spent any time watching CNBC or Bloomberg over the last decade, you definitely know the face. Chris Harvey was the guy at Wells Fargo who basically refused to be a bear, even when everyone else was screaming that the sky was falling. He spent twelve years at the firm, eventually becoming the Head of Equity Strategy, and honestly, he became one of the most followed voices on Wall Street because he was often right when it was uncomfortable to be.
But here is the thing that caught a lot of people off guard recently: he isn't at Wells Fargo anymore.
In August 2025, Chris Harvey packed up his desk at Wells Fargo Securities and made a jump that sent a few ripples through the financial world. He moved over to CIBC Capital Markets. It was a massive shift for a guy who had become synonymous with the Wells Fargo bull case. Now that we’re sitting in early 2026, his absence at the big stage in Wells Fargo is still being felt, especially as the market tries to figure out if this four-year winning streak for the S&P 500 has any legs left.
The Strategy That Defined Chris Harvey at Wells Fargo
Before he left, Harvey was famous for his "year-end targets." While other analysts were hedging their bets or predicting recessions, Harvey was out there in early 2025 calling for the S&P 500 to hit 7,007. People thought he was dreaming. Then, the index closed 2025 at 6,930—less than 1% away from his call.
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He didn't just guess.
His whole thesis at Wells Fargo was built on three main pillars:
- The AI "Next Leg": He argued that things like Meta's Llama 4 and xAI's Grok 3 would require massive GPU clusters, keeping the "Hyper-scalers" (think Nvidia and Microsoft) in a permanent state of growth.
- The "Organic" Shift: Harvey noticed that companies were shifting away from just raising prices (inflation-driven) and were actually starting to sell more volume. He told his clients to reward companies that were growing "organically."
- The Housing Recovery: He was one of the first to shout that 30-year mortgages would settle toward 5.5%, which basically acted as a pressure valve for the rest of the economy.
Why Did He Leave?
Wall Street moves fast, and sometimes long-term veterans just want a new sandbox. When he left in August 2025, Wells Fargo didn't waste much time. They tapped Ohsung Kwon to take over the role. Kwon had just joined the firm from Bank of America a few months earlier.
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It’s kinda interesting to see the change in tone. While Harvey was the ultimate bull, the new team at Wells Fargo under Kwon has been navigating a "choppy" 2026. Harvey, meanwhile, is over at CIBC doing what he does best: making bold calls. Just a few weeks ago, in late December 2025, he released his 2026 target of 7,450 for the S&P 500.
What Chris Harvey is Saying Now (2026 Outlook)
Now that he's at CIBC, he isn't holding back. He thinks the market is going to rally for a fourth straight year, but he’s also warning that people are "sleeping on macro risks."
Specifically, he’s watching the Fed.
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If the Fed holds rates steady while everyone is expecting cuts, that’s going to hurt. He’s also looking at the trade war stuff—specifically potential tariffs on Canada and Mexico. Since he’s now working for a Canadian-based bank (CIBC), you can bet he’s paying extra attention to how US trade policy affects our neighbors to the north.
The "DeepSeek" Ripple Effect
One thing Harvey has been talking about lately is the "AI volatility" we saw in early 2025. When DeepSeek (the Chinese AI firm) dropped its high-efficiency model, it shook the US tech giants. Harvey’s take was basically: don't panic. He viewed it as a buying opportunity rather than a reason to dump US tech, and so far, that’s been the winning side of the trade.
How to Follow the "Harvey Method" Today
If you’re trying to invest like Chris Harvey used to at Wells Fargo, you have to look past the headlines. He was always big on "disciplined portfolio strategies." He liked finding the "losers" in a political cycle—like the "Trump 2.0" losers—and seeing which ones were actually quality companies that just had bad PR.
- Look for GARP: He’s a big fan of "Growth at a Reasonable Price." In early 2025, he called Communication Services the quintessential GARP sector.
- Watch the Vix: Harvey uses volatility as a tool. If the market is "choppy," he looks for where margins are expanding despite the noise.
- Diversify beyond Big Tech: Even though he loves the AI trade, his recent 2026 commentary mentions looking at MedTech, Software, and even Financials (like Goldman Sachs) as they navigate deregulation.
Chris Harvey might not be the "Wells Fargo guy" anymore, but his fingerprints are all over how Wall Street views the current bull market. If you want to keep up with his actual moves, you'll need to look for his CIBC Capital Markets research notes or catch him on his frequent guest spots on CNBC's Fast Money.
Actionable Next Steps:
Check your portfolio's exposure to the "Hyper-scalers" versus "Organic Growth" companies. As Harvey noted, the market is shifting from rewarding price hikes to rewarding volume. If your holdings are only growing because they’ve raised prices 20% in two years, they might be the "valuation traps" he warned about for the second half of 2026.