After back-to-back 20-percent gains in 2024 and 2023, the S&P 500 is up another 12 percent this year. Its market cap is near $59 trillion. Several valuation multiples are either elevated or at fresh records, even as households’ equity allocation … Continued
It is an FOMC week. The meeting is taking place at a time when markets are demanding aggressive cuts this year and the Fed is saying ‘no way’. Financial conditions have eased tremendously, and the central bank probably does not … Continued
Since last October’s bottom in stocks, trillions in additional wealth have been added. Prices headed north, even as earnings headed south, helping push up multiples. This also makes equity bulls, who are sitting on loads of paper profit, jittery, as … Continued
After a rip-roaring rally since last October’s bottom, major US indices stopped at what could turn out to be make-or-break resistance. Sentiment is not frothy but elevated enough to cause unwinding, and multiples have only expanded since the end of … Continued
March-quarter earnings, which are on the home stretch, are raising questions – most prominently as to where the sell-side says things are headed and where they might in fact be headed. As of last Tuesday, 89.4 percent of S&P 500 … Continued
Small-caps are lagging. With a large domestic exposure, these companies offer a reliable way to take a pulse of the economy. Rates have gone up a lot and will rise even more. A recession is imminent next year. Large-caps’ recent … Continued
The 3Q earnings season begins in earnest this week. Leading up to this, the revision trend is up and stocks have come under a little pressure. Post-earnings reaction likely gets influenced by several variables, not the least of which is … Continued
Major US equity indices were down last week, but recovered from the lows, as dips were bought at important support. Jerome Powell’s Friday speech at Jackson Hole this week is important in that a possible announcement of tapering of bond … Continued
The January barometer is not boding well for US equity bulls. That said, they can take solace in the fact that the maxim’s record is poor when January is down versus when it is up. Besides, the first five sessions … Continued
Georgia Senate results have pretty much ensured a new round of stimulus money as well as a fresh infrastructure package. Stocks had a massive 4Q, with the S&P 500 jumping 11.7 percent. This helped push the price-to-sales ratio further into … Continued