S&P 500 – Aggregate Net Profit Margin, 1999-2026, Against Its Long-Run Average S&P 500 margins have moved up and stayed up, sitting around 60% above the long-term average. The question isn’t if that’s lofty, but…
NAAIM Exposure Index – Investor Sentiment With the NAAIM Exposure Index at 88.12, active managers are comfortable staying long, keeping U.S. equity exposure elevated and maintaining an optimistic outlook. The National Association of Active Investment Managers Exposure…
Consensus Hyperscaler Capex Estimates Capex estimates continue to surprise to the upside. Hyperscaler spending is now set to exceed $1.1 trillion in 2027, pointing to a trajectory that looks more like a new era than…
Fear & Greed Index – Investor Sentiment At 35, the Fear & Greed Index is stuck in fear territory, but not panic. For U.S. stocks, that leaves room to edge higher if the headlines improve.…
Average 1-Month S&P 500 Return vs. Change in 10-Year U.S. Treasury Yields Fast-rising U.S. Treasury yields tend to crush the most expensive growth stocks. A sudden 50 basis point jump in the 10-year over a…
U.S. Equity Valuation Metrics (Z-Score Since 1900) U.S. equities look expensive by almost any historical measure, with most valuation metrics more than two standard deviations above their long-term averages. But if momentum holds, the rally…
S&P 500 Returns Around Midterm Elections U.S. stocks often stall before midterm elections, with volatility picking up, but returns tend to strengthen after the vote as policy uncertainty fades. Image: Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research
S&P 500 Earnings Revisions vs. U.S. PMIs This year, U.S. ISM PMIs have picked up sharply, finally catching the earlier surge in earnings-revisions momentum. The cyclical upturn is now underway. Image: Topdown Charts
U.S. Economic Growth vs. S&P 500 EPS Growth S&P 500 earnings growth has surged far beyond what U.S. GDP growth would historically justify, sparking debate over whether this is a temporary overshoot or the start…
10-Year Rolling Annualized Equity vs. Bond Performance (Ex Post Equity Risk Premia) Over the past decade, U.S. stocks have crushed bonds by a margin not seen since the 1920s and 1950s. But with yields rising,…
Seasonality – S&P 500 Average Monthly Returns Since 1950 September has earned its reputation as the S&P 500’s worst month, the only one with a negative average return since 1950. Then comes the final quarter,…