Here’s a quick rundown of the weekly stats:
- S&P 500’s “Forward 4-quarter estimate” ended this week at $128.34 vs $128.45
- Remember on July 1 the forward estimate will “roll” from the period covering Q2 ’20 to Q1 ’21, to Q3 ’20 – Q2’21. (See the forward estimate below for that bucket’s “forward 4-qtr estimate”, which is currently $143.20.)
- For the 9th straight week, the “average” expected S&P 500 earnings growth for both 2020 and 2021 is 4%. That hasn’t changed since mid-April ’20.
- What the simple average tells me is that the relationship between the 2020 and 2021 S&P 500 estimates has not changed.
- The expected 2020 S&P 500 EPS is still hovering around $125, which has been stable for 5 weeks.
- The expected 2021 S&P 500 EPS of $163.99 is still above the 2019 final EPS print of $162.93. I think that’s important – no one else really does, though.
- The “rate of change” continues to improve for S&P 500 earnings. Here’s a look at the S&P 500 “forward earnings curve”.
Summary / Conclusion:
The S&P 500 rise 1.8% this week and corporate bond returns improved this week, both of which are positive for capital markets. The S&P 500 earnings revisions continue to bode well for “expected, future returns” for the S&P 500, but that isn’t a prediction, simply an observation.
The S&P 500 earnings yield continues to sit at depressed levels at 4.14%, but if we plugged in next quarter’s “forward 4-quarter estimate” of $143.20, the S&P 500 earnings yield jumps to 4.6% versus the 4.1% today.
Nike (NYSE:NKE) and Accenture (NYSE:ACN) report this week, and then FedEx (NYSE:FDX) and Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) next week. Nike will give is a look into China.
All of this can change very quickly, and it’s one opinion, so invest according to your own financial profile.