Architect of Alpha
Long-Term Stock Investor
US large-cap earnings are in a historic boom that undercuts the doomers: S&P 500 companies are beating EPS estimates by an aggregate 29.2%, the biggest beat ever, against a 7.0% five-year average. 86% of companies beat, and the blended net margin reached an all-time high of 16.9%. This is the largest investment boom in history. x.com
US stocks remain the best long-term bet because American companies earn their profits globally and own the AI supply chain. Eight of the world's ten largest companies are American, and NVIDIA alone is worth more than the entire German market. Unlike Japan's 1989 giants, which served local customers, they sell worldwide. A flywheel of talent, capital and technology, built on compounding code, chips, networks and capital markets, keeps accelerating. Drawdowns will come; holding through them pays. 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
US equities are in a remarkably strong earnings environment, with S&P 500 sales and earnings revisions for 2027 surging. Markups on equity investments don't explain it, since sales wouldn't reflect them and these are 2027 estimates. Breadth is also fairly strong, so stripping out the mega caps, as @EcoDogFanJM suggests, isn't warranted. x.com x.com
US large-cap equities are vulnerable because earnings have not caught up with total market capitalization. The market is farther from its 200-week moving average than at any point in 18 years, and cracks are starting to show; staying bullish ignores these risks. Rate hikes remain possible, oil is still high, and yields may climb again, so now is the time for caution. x.com x.com
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
Improving breadth and GPUs massively outrunning depreciation costs put US-equity risk/reward heavily in bulls' favour. Some 59% of S&P 500 stocks are above their 50-day average; the Nasdaq 100 is positive over five trading days, and small caps bounced off their 200-day average. Buy gradually, as the selloff may not be completely over. 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
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
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
