The stockmarket melt-up just keeps going
Despite all the bad news, markets just keep hitting new highs. Should you be worried?


Levels of public debt not seen since World War II; a labour shortage; fast-rising inflation; more new Covid-19 variants; small businesses suffering from supply crunches; chaos in Afghanistan; rising mutterings about inequality; anti-wealth and anti-market policies in China; ridiculously high equity valuations in the US. It’s a lot for markets to cope with. You’d think they’d wobble some, but no. Instead, the melt-up just keeps going – and America’s S&P 500 index just keeps hitting record highs. Should you worry?
There are stories you can tell to make yourself feel a bit better (stockmarkets are nothing more than a sum of stories). You could perhaps argue that US earnings estimates are rising so fast that it makes everything look kind of OK. S&P 500 stocks as a whole beat analysts’ estimates nicely in both the first and second quarters – so everyone is now busy upgrading their forecasts for the year. The higher these go (S&P average forecast operating earnings per share are now at a record high) the less awful valuations look, and the easier it is to justify endlessly rising stockmarkets.
You could also argue that the Federal Reserve, America's central bank, is clearly very conscious of the stockmarket (maybe too conscious) and will be keeping interest rates so low for so long that if you want an income of any kind, there is no alternative to the stockmarket. You might also note that companies must be feeling pretty optimistic: stock issuance is currently at its highest level ever in the US – “blowing away the last high set in the run up to the Tech Bubble”, say the analysts at asset manager GMO. And this isn’t just about new firms coming to market (the Spacs – special purpose acquisition companies – you have heard so much about). Instead, most new issuance is coming from “seasoned companies”.
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE

Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Unfortunately, none of these things are quite enough. Analysts have a trying tendency to extrapolate everything – basing forecasts not on actual predictions of the future, but on assumptions that the future will be almost identical to the immediate past. Yardeni Research notes that the average analyst’s estimate of forward earnings for US energy companies is up by 1,558% since last year’s lockdown lows. In lockdown, analysts assumed lockdown forever. Out of lockdown they perhaps assume pent-up demand release forever. The latter is as unlikely now as the former was then. As for issuance, it would be nice to think that it reflected companies being full of brilliant ideas as to productive ways to use the cash. However, it is just as likely, as GMO says, to reflect that “Wall Street knows an eager, price-insensitive buyer when it sees one... when the ducks are quacking, it’s time to feed ’em”.
And interest rates? It makes some sense to think about markets in relative terms, but at some point absolutes will matter too. When that happens, eager, price-insensitive buyers will be in for a shock. With that in mind, let us bore you again with the suggestion that you bring some of your cash home – to the UK market. The UK is not as cheap as it was, but it is much cheaper than most other markets. If we don’t buy it, private-equity firms will soon own the lot. And we won’t like that.
Sign up for MoneyWeek's newsletters
Get the latest financial news, insights and expert analysis from our award-winning MoneyWeek team, to help you understand what really matters when it comes to your finances.
Merryn Somerset Webb started her career in Tokyo at public broadcaster NHK before becoming a Japanese equity broker at what was then Warburgs. She went on to work at SBC and UBS without moving from her desk in Kamiyacho (it was the age of mergers).
After five years in Japan she returned to work in the UK at Paribas. This soon became BNP Paribas. Again, no desk move was required. On leaving the City, Merryn helped The Week magazine with its City pages before becoming the launch editor of MoneyWeek in 2000 and taking on columns first in the Sunday Times and then in 2009 in the Financial Times
Twenty years on, MoneyWeek is the best-selling financial magazine in the UK. Merryn was its Editor in Chief until 2022. She is now a senior columnist at Bloomberg and host of the Merryn Talks Money podcast - but still writes for Moneyweek monthly.
Merryn is also is a non executive director of two investment trusts – BlackRock Throgmorton, and the Murray Income Investment Trust.
-
UK-US trade deal announced: US cuts tariffs on UK car imports to 10%
Keir Starmer and Donald Trump have announced a UK-US trade deal, but the US president has refused to lift baseline tariffs on most UK goods. What does it mean for the UK?
-
How to use mid-caps to diversify from the US
Medium sized companies are overlooked by investors but could offer an attractive ‘sweet spot’. We consider the case for mid-caps amid market volatility.
-
Will Comstock crash – or soar?
Opinion The upside for Comstock, a solar panel-recycling and biomass-refining group, dwarfs the downside, says Dominic Frisby.
-
'As AGMs go digital, firms must offer a new form of scrutiny for shareholders'
Opinion Technology has rendered big AGM meet-ups obsolete, but the board still needs to be held to account, says Matthew Lynn
-
Unilever braces for inflation amid tariff uncertainty – what does it mean for investors?
Consumer-goods giant Unilever has made steady progress simplifying its operations. Will tariffs now cause turbulence?
-
Two ways to tap into monopoly profits from airports
Most investors can’t get their hands on airports. Here are two ways you can
-
Fat profits: should you invest in weight-loss drugs?
The latest weight-loss treatments could transform public health and the world economy. Should you invest?
-
How investors could profit from Ramsden Holdings' four-part growth strategy
Ramsdens Holdings offers a diversified set of financial and retail services and a juicy yield, says Dr Michael Tubbs
-
How to invest in the booming insurance market
The insurance sector is experiencing rapid growth after years of stagnation. Smart investors should buy in now, says Rupert Hargreaves
-
Out of America's shadow: Why Trump's tariff chaos may be good for non-US stocks
Opinion Upending global investment and trade could benefit other countries at the expense of the US market, says Cris Sholto Heaton