The S&P 500's relatively low valuation supports a pre-midterm TACO rebound. It trades at 18.5 times forward earnings, below its five-year average of 19.9 and ten-year average of 19.2, the cheapest since the April 2025 tariff low. x.comΒ
Ren
Head of AI, Ex-Product Manager, AI Supply-Chain Bottlenecks
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.comΒ
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.comΒ
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.comΒ
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.comΒ
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.comΒ
The AI-led S&P 500 peak will likely end somewhere between 2000 and the Nifty Fifty: painful, but not a 34-year Japan-style wait. Breadth is ugly, with record index highs while most stocks bleed; @RestlessCentaur notes over 70% of S&P 500 stocks are down more than 10%. Today's leaders trade around 30x forward earnings, while the 2000 and Japan tops were two to three times pricier. x.comΒ x.comΒ x.comΒ x.comΒ x.comΒ
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.comΒ x.comΒ
The S&P 500's post-midterm record makes 2027 pullbacks worth buying, though history does not guarantee another gain. It rose in the year after all 19 US midterm elections since 1950, averaging 15.4% over 12 months, 12.4% in six months and 5.7% in three months. Take advantage of market swings by buying pullbacks. x.comΒ x.comΒ
Rotation from growth into value is bearish for the S&P 500 in the near term. That normal shift prompted a defensive stance given growth-heavy portfolio exposure, not a bearish call on the broader stock bull market. A pullback could form a higher low and offer a buying opportunity at key levels. x.comΒ
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.comΒ