October 6, 2010

Earnings-yield on S&P 500 at two decade-high

from ibtimes.com
The earnings yield (EY) on the S&P 500 index is now above 7 percent, which is typically the kind of yield an investors would get from an average junk bond.

EY amounted to 7.09 percent for the S&P 500 as of June 30, 2010 -- the highest quarter-end level in two decades.

This either means that stocks are very cheap (relative to bonds) and might make an attractive buy; or that investors have such a pessimistic view of the economy that they expect earnings growth to slow down over the next few quarters (or even years), given the grim economic backdrop.

Market Gauge - Today's values

S & P 500 Earnings Yield vs. Treasury-Bill Yield


Historically, when the ratio of the T-Bill yield divided by the S&P 500 earnings yield has risen above 1.1 it has been a noteworthy warning that the market was vulnerable to a correction. When this indicator has been below .9 the market has demonstrated a significant upward bias.
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