Ben Laidler, Bradesco BBI's head of equity strategy, believes the bull market is in its early stages, driven by an anticipated earnings recovery and potential Fed rate cuts.
He forecasts possible stock gains of 100% over five years, supported by expected 15% annual earnings growth and potential multiple expansions due to lower interest rates.
Since October 2022, the S&P 500 has surged 55%, fueled by AI sector optimism, boosting stocks like Nvidia and Apple to record highs.
In 2024, the Dow Jones Industrial Average surpassed 40,000 and the S&P 500 exceeded 5,000, with a robust 15.3% gain in the first half, among the strongest starts since 1950.
The upcoming earnings season, starting with JPMorgan and Wells Fargo, will test Laidler’s outlook. FactSet projects an 8.8% earnings growth for S&P 500 firms in Q2, the highest since early 2022, marking four consecutive quarters of growth.
Laidler emphasized a fundamentally supported market with rebounding earnings and anticipated rate cuts, while Goldman Sachs portfolio manager Brook Dane remains optimistic about AI stocks despite recent gains.
The U.S. economy may be closer to a downturn than many realize, according to Jay Bryson, chief economist at Wells Fargo.
Morgan Stanley has issued a cautionary outlook on the U.S. dollar, predicting a major decline over the coming year as Federal Reserve rate cuts take hold.
Legendary investor Ray Dalio has issued a stark warning about the trajectory of U.S. government finances, suggesting the country is drifting toward a series of severe economic shocks unless its debt spiral is urgently addressed.
Steve Eisman, the famed investor known for forecasting the 2008 housing collapse, is sounding the alarm—not on overvalued tech stocks or interest rates, but on the escalating risk of global trade disputes.