S&P 500 CAPE Ratio vs. U.S. Households Holding of Equities % Total Financial Assets When everyone is piled into equities and valuations are stretched, there isn’t much cushion left. History doesn’t say a crash has to follow, but it does show that markets priced for perfection rarely handle surprises well. Image: Topdown Charts
Capex to Operating Cash Flow for U.S. and China Hyperscalers U.S. hyperscalers are on track to spend more than their operating cash flow in 2027. The market is no longer asking whether they can pay for it, but whether the AI spending will eventually deliver returns. Image: Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research
Stocks – Dow Jones with Major Geopolitical Events Major geopolitical events can jolt markets, but U.S. equities have kept climbing as investors look beyond the headlines, rewarding those who stayed the course. Image: Carson Investment Research
Hyperscaler Capex by Company U.S. hyperscaler capex is on track to hit $740 billion this year and nearly $1 trillion by 2027. At that scale, it no longer looks cyclical. It looks like a structural reset. Image: Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research
Valuation – 10-Year Total Return for S&P 500 over the Last Century Based on Starting CAPE Ratio Markets have a habit of pushing valuations to extremes, but history is unforgiving: elevated CAPEs tend to disappoint over the following decade. Image: Deutsche Bank
Recession – Length of Every U.S. Business Cycle What a run. The U.S. expansion is now the sixth-longest on record. If 2026 passes without a recession, it climbs into the top five. Image: Deutsche Bank
Margin Debt Balances – YoY % Change NYSE margin debt now exceeds $1.4 trillion, a 54% jump from a year ago and accelerating rapidly toward record territory. History shows that when leverage grows faster than the market, the cycle is usually in its later stages. Image: Real Investment Advice
S&P 500 Performance During Trump Years After a weak first quarter, the S&P 500 is tracking the familiar Trump-era playbook, with a rally still very much in play for the rest of the year. For now, bulls have little to complain about. Image: Carson Investment Research
Bloomberg U.S. Financial Conditions Index The Bloomberg U.S. Financial Conditions Index is at one of its most accommodative levels in years, a friendly setup for borrowing, fund-raising and broader risk appetite. Image: Deutsche Bank
Semiconductor Earnings vs. Hyperscaler Free Cash Flows Semiconductor earnings are riding the AI capex wave, but hyperscaler free cash flow is taking a hit as spending on chips, data centers, and networking accelerates. Image: Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research
S&P 500 Performance After A >10% Q2 Quarter History leans very bullish. Since 1950, when the S&P 500 has risen more than 10% in Q2, the rest of the year has finished in the red just once. Average gains come in near 12%, a track record that keeps bulls smiling. Image: Carson Investment Research