Andres Cardenal
CFA, Economist & Financial Analyst, Investment Columnist
The US-China trade deal adds upside fuel for US stocks. Per The Kobeissi Letter, it lowers tariffs on $30 billion of non-sensitive goods, likely cutting prices on consumer goods, while China cuts tariffs on US farm goods, seafood, wood, cosmetics and medical devices and agrees to import 10 million metric tons of US coal in 2027 and 2028. Rare earths are still under discussion. x.com
S&P 500 earnings are keeping pace with prices, so this does not look like a bubble. Quarterly earnings are on track to grow 29.5%, more than twice the 10-year average of 12.6%, while the 18.7 forward P/E is just below its 19.1 decade average. x.com
US large-cap equities do not look like a bubble at current forward valuations. The S&P 500 forward P/E is below both its five- and ten-year averages, while tech and momentum have suffered their worst five-month decline by far. x.com
US stocks need not rise just because profits are strong: that is first-level thinking, and everyone already knows earnings are growing. P/E multiples fell over the past six months despite upward EPS revisions, and years like 2018, 2006, 2005 and 2004 saw EPS growth near 17-20% with weak or negative index returns. Valuations sit in the 98th percentile, inflation, rates and deficits are rising, policy may turn anti-corporate after November, and AI capex has inflated profits. x.com
Rising S&P earnings revisions and a Nasdaq valuation far below the 2000 bubble level argue against a bull trap in US large caps. Nasdaq trades at 18x forward earnings versus over 80x in 2000. Positive breadth divergences, record short ETF exposure and put volume, and semiconductors waking up add to the case. In all 19 post-midterm instances cited, markets were very green over the following 12 months. x.com x.com
Strong corporate profit margins may make the S&P 500 better value than traditional P/E ratios suggest, despite elevated stock prices. Per Bloomberg, its P/E-to-profitability ratio is at its lowest in nearly 14 years, last seen around 2012. Wall Street might be overlooking something important. x.com
The S&P 500's elevated P/E masks concentration in just a few stocks, making index exposure less appealing than selective stock picking for risk and reward. Its P/E is well above the ten-year median; digging into individual constituents looks more sensible than buying all 500. x.com
Broader participation, earnings growth and lower multiples support US equities into year-end, with seasonality also favorable. The equal-weight S&P rose 1.95% this week while the cap-weighted index slipped 0.05%; EPS is up 38% so far and multiples are down 17% year to date. The 10-year yield fell 41 basis points. x.com
S&P 500 stocks look cheap relative to expected earnings as forecasts grow faster than share prices. Forward P/E has fallen below 19, its lowest since 2023 and slightly below its 10-year average, despite the index nearing all-time highs. Goldman Sachs' earnings beat, with net income up 29% year over year, suggests earnings support extends beyond AI. x.com
US large-cap stocks are frothy and now need years of earnings to validate today's prices, even though the rally is not irrational. Per FactSet, S&P 500 earnings are up about 28% versus 13% expected, but the Shiller P/E is near 42, close to 1999-2001 extremes. Per @KobeissiLetter, leveraged ETF assets hit a record $177B and the leading-to-coincident indicator ratio of 0.84 matches the 2008 low; per @charliebilello, 90+ day delinquencies hit 13.1% for credit cards and 5.6% for auto loans. x.com … Show more
The S&P 500 is not in a bubble. At a forward P/E of 19, it sits just above its long-term average even as it presses new highs. x.com