Reflections
Nasdaq & S&P 500 At A New High – Here’s What It Means
Chris Lee Susanto, Founder at Re-ThinkWealth.com
27 July 2019
As of today, the Nasdaq & the S&P 500 has hit a new high.
Recently, the US economy showed that GDP grew 2.1% annually in the second quarter of this year. It means that consumer is still spending because the US GDP is still growing – despite the tariifs that has been implemented by Trump. This positive news is probably one of the catalyst that have been driving the Nasdaq & S&P 500 to a new high.
Let’s break down what the Nasdaq and S&P 500 reaching a new high means to us as investors.
Now, The stock market in the US is hitting a new high despite the trade war with China still looming with no deal at sight yet.
And this is all under the backdrop that the Fed is going to lower interest rates by 25 basis points. In a way, interest rate cuts will boost the economy, and it is a good thing. In another viewpoint, based on the latest memo called “On The Other Hand” by Howard Marks, the interest rate cut may not be necessarily a good thing.
And according to FactSet, so far more than two-thirds of companies that have reported earnings so far beat the earnings. More than two-thirds of the companies beating earnings shows that the earnings of companies so far this year are not too bad. That means that while the stock market hits a new high, they are generally supported by earnings growth.
So this leads me to ask, is the bull run in the US stock market sustainable?
I think in general if the stock market bull run is steadily supported by earnings growth, there will not be a bubble. It will still be sustainable.
But the higher the stock market goes, the riskier it is.
So in a way, we can also say that the higher the US stock market goes, the less sustainable it is.
One thing about the market that I learned so far is that the market is generally unpredictable – this unpredictability is the one thing I can certainly predict about the market.
With the understanding that the market is unpredictable, I believe the general principle should be to be cautiously optimistic – and be even more cautious as the market goes up, and be more optimistic when the market goes down. Of course, this is easier said than done. But if we do not make the right decision and do the right thing, we will be just like everyone else. And remember, the key to stock investing outsized success consists of two parts, the first is to go against the majority view and the second, is that we have to be right.
With the Nasdaq & S&P 500 hitting new highs, my focus on the next couple of weeks would be on re-evaluating the companies in my portfolio to see which are the companies I feel is already overvalued or if there are a better price to value proposition elsewhere.
And if you have not read the latest memo by Howard Marks “On The Other Hand,” I highly recommend you to read it. I read it earlier, and I learned many things.
Disclaimer:
The information provided is for general information purposes only and is not intended to be a personalized investment or financial advice.
Important: Please read our full disclaimer.
Read also now:
Is SIA Shares Worth Buying? Here Are My Thoughts (August 2020)
Think About How SIA Was When Times Was “Normal” Before we got into this COVID-19 mess, SIA is already not a great business to own even when times were “normal.” All of us know that the airline […]
The Eight Accounting Fraud or Red Flag Signs To Look Out In Stocks
In this article, I’d like to share eight signs of potential fraud in our stocks portfolio that we should be careful of. These are eight simple potential warning signs of bad financial reporting or early markers […]
My 5 Key Takeaway From AEM Holdings 1H 2020 Results
3. As of 1H20, Most Earnings Paid Out As Dividends Based on AEM 1H20 reports, their cumulative capital allocation breakdown from 2017 to 1H2020 is as follows: Dividends – 47%, Acquisitions – 25%, Capex – 18%, Buybacks – 10%. It is interesting to note that […]
Kodak Stock is Up Over 1,400% in Two Days. Does It Make Sense?
Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE: KODK) opened at $2.15 (Monday) on July 27, 2020, and closed at $33.20 (Wednesday) by 29 July 2020. That is a 1,444.19% increase over a two day period. In this article, I am going to give you some background on the Kodak company, the reason […]
Here Are 4 Reasons Why Intel Stock Plunged 16% Last Friday
Last Friday on 24 July 2020, Intel closed 16.24% down. Although I do not own any Intel stock, I was curious why it fell after releasing its Q2 2020 results. Just a while ago, I saw the news that after 15 years of partnership, Apple decided to break up with Intel and stop using its […]
My 5 Key Takeaway From Temasek Portfolio Value in 2020
1. Temasek Portfolio is Huge. Although I know that Temasek has a huge portfolio, I was surprised to see that it is around the size of Warren Buffett’s. As of 31 March 2020, the net portfolio value or NPV is at S$306 billion. So we have our own Warren Buffett in Singapore, that is […]
What I Learnt From Adam Smith About Investment and Money
Who is Adam Smith? Adam Smith (1723-1790) was a philosopher and economist who was best known for authoring the book An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. Wealth of Nations also happens to be one of Warren Buffett’s favourite books […]
A List of Value Investing Funds in Singapore and Outside of Singapore
As a value investor, as a practitioner of value investing, I am very interested in studying funds I view as an executioner of the various value investing methodologies I myself am very passionate about. In this article, I will list down some of the value investing funds in […]
Protected: My Gratitude Journal as An Investor (And The Benefits of It)
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
How to Get Rich by Investing in Stock Market? Patience
How do people get rich by investing in stocks? Can we actually get rich by investing in stocks? Yes, we can. But we need to utilize both Patience and Compound Interest in Great Companies. With the proper foundation, framework, character, and skills, I truly believe that […]
Here’s What Sun Tzu Art of War Quotes Can Teach Us About Investing
Sun Tzu Art of War Quotes “He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight” – We should only invest when there is clear benefit to do so, do not do something just for the sake of doing something. “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear […]
Thinking, Fast and Slow Book Summary (What I Learnt As An Investor)
In this thinking fast and slow book summary, I will explain to you the various human biases that we have and why it is important for us as investors to understand it. It all begins with a simple premise that we all have two systems in our brain, system 1 and system 2 […]

High dividend yield, blue-chip stocks, is it safer? | Re-ThinkWealth.com
Many investors love to invest based on dividend yield alone. They think that dividend stocks are safe, but are all of […]
![The Best Investors And Money Managers of All Time [Ultimate List]](https://www.re-thinkwealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/warren-buffett-1024x675.jpg)
The Best Investors And Money Managers of All Time [Ultimate List]
The purpose of this article is to compile a list of some of the worlds greatest investors and money managers. We will also […]

How to Invest Like Chamath Palihapitiya
Who is Chamath Palihapitiya? Chamath is a former Facebook executive who became a venture investor. How to invest like Chamath […]

8 Practical Way For Stock Investors To Be Emotionally Intelligent
Scientists have discovered that emotions are generally caused by our own thoughts. That means that two people in the same situation […]

Here Are The Daily Routine That Has Helped Me As A Stock Investor
For stock investors, I am a firm believer in having an optimized routine that supports us emotionally and rationally – so we can hopefully […]

Here’s My Investment Outlook for 2021 (Is It A Year of Recovery?)
2020 has been another great year for my portfolio. My portfolio is up around 81.24% for the year compared to the S&P 500 total […]

Year in Review: The 20 Most Popular Re-ThinkWealth Articles of 2020
20. Does Warren Buffett Invest In Options? Yes, But It’s Not What You Think Most people will not associate The Oracle of Omaha […]

Does Warren Buffett Invest In Options? Yes, But It’s Not What You Think
Options, Weapon of Mass Destruction? Most people will not associate The Oracle of Omaha with options. Because after all, options are […]
