Bear Bottoms

Check out the accompanying pdf and chart collection. Executive Summary: The bear market has clawed 30% out of stock valuations, returning the S&P 500’s forward P/E to its historical average of 15. But October 12 may have marked the bear’s bottom. If GDP and inflation perform as we expect and the Fed does what everyone expects, that bottom should hold. … We think the stock market has discounted a soft-landing scenario (to which we give a 60% subjective probability) but is nervous about a hard landing (40%). … Also: The MegaCap-8 stocks’ outsized influence over their resident indexes has been diminished. … Movie review: “All Quiet on the Western Front” (+ + +).