DECISION POINT
OVERVIEW OF MARKET FUNDAMENTALS
Friday 11/28/2008
*************************** S&P 500 FUNDAMENTALS ****************************
The real P/E for the S&P 500 is based on "as reported" or GAAP earnings
(calculated using Generally Accepted Accounting Principals), and it is the
standard for historical earnings comparisons. The normal range for the GAAP
P/E ratio is between 10 (undervalued) to 20 (overvalued).
Standard & Poors has introduced a version called "core" earnings, which is
more critical than GAAP and will probably become the standard in the future.
Market cheerleaders invariably use "pro forma" or "operating earnings,"
which exclude some expenses and are deceptively optimistic. They are
useless and should be ignored.
The following are the most recently reported and projected twelve-month
trailing (TMT) earnings and price/earnings ratios (P/Es) according to
Standard and Poors.
Est Est Est
2008 Q2 2008 Q3 2008 Q4 2009 Q1
TMT P/E Ratio (GAAP).......: 17.4 19.4 18.3 19.4
TMT P/E Ratio (Core).......: 12.7 N/A N/A N/A
TMT P/E Ratio (Operating)..: 12.9 13.7 13.0 12.3
TMT Earnings (GAAP)........: 51.37 46.13 49.08 46.15
TMT Earnings (Core)........: 70.80 N/A N/A N/A
TMT Earnings (Operating)...: 69.73 65.23 68.88 72.59
For a more thorough discussion of earnings and other fundamentals
click here.
Based upon the latest GAAP earnings the following would be the approximate
S&P 500 values at the cardinal points of the normal historical value range.
They are calculated simply by multiplying the GAAP EPS by 10, 15, and 20:
Undervalued (SPX if P/E = 10): 514
Fair Value (SPX if P/E = 15): 771
Overvalued (SPX if P/E = 20): 1027
******************* COMPARISON OF MAJOR INDEXES ***************************
SPX OEX NDX DJIA DJTA DJUA
Price/Earnings Ratio........: 17 18 20 18 12 D
Dividend Yield..............: 3.1% 2.8% 0.6% 3.5% 4.3% ----
*********************** DIVIDEND VALUE RANGE ANALYSIS ***********************
The yield for the DJIA, DJTA and the S&P 500 has historically moved
between a range of 3% (overvalued) and 6% (undervalued). The normal yield
range for the DJUA is between 3% and 12%. Decision Point expresses this
range as an RVR (Relative to Value Range) value of between 0 (undervalued)
and 100 (overvalued). Values can fall outside that range, and, when they
do, indicate even greater extremes of market valuation.
S&P 500 DJIA DJTA *DJUA
----------------------------------- ------- ----- ----- -----
Current Closing Price.............: 896 8829 382 37
Current Yield.....................: 3.1% 3.5% 2.1% 4.3%
Current P/E.......................: 17 18 20 12
Current Payout Ratio..............: 0.6 28.7 0.4 0.5
Current RVR.......................: 96 84 130 86
Price at 1.5% Yield..............: 1852 20601 535 106
Price at 3.0% Yield (RVR 100)....: 926 10301 267 53
Price at 4.0% Yield..............: 694 7725 201 40
Price at 5.0% Yield..............: 556 6180 160 32
Price at 6.0% Yield (RVR 0).....: 463 5150 134 27
Price at 8.0% Yield..............: 347 3863 100 20
Price at 12.0% Yield (RVR 0 - DJUA).........................: 13
*********************** MISCELLANEOUS MARKET MEASURES ***********************
DJIA Yield.............: 3.49% Bearish (Norm Rng: 3% - 6%)
DJIA P/E...............: 18.39 Bearish (Norm Rng: 10 - 20)
T-Bill Yield/DJIA Yield: 0.01 Bullish (Norm Rng: 1.6 - 2.0)
Price to Dividend Ratio: 28.65 (Should be less than 30)
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The chart below offers perspective regarding current S&P 500 P/E and yield
relative to normal historical ranges.
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HUSSMAN P/E
The chart beloww calculates the SPX P/E by dividing the SPX price by Prior
Peak Earnings, a method developed by John Hussman, manager of the Hussman
Funds. (hussmanfunds.com) It orients valuations to the long-term
rising trend of earnings growth as defined by peak-to-peak earnings.
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End of MARKET FUNDAMENTALS REPORT for Friday 11/28/08
Copyright 2008 Decision Point.
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