The Stock Market Is Finally Rising Again—and It’s Getting Cheaper, Too

In a “shrinkflation” world, investors might want to stop and appreciate the stock market, which is giving them more for less. While the is up 22% in the past year, valuations have actually come down, with the forward price/earnings ratio falling from 22.1 times forward earnings to 20 times, per Bloomberg data. Simply put, the “E” is rising faster than the “P.” Second-quarter earnings season has been one for the ages, with 86% of companies beating earnings estimates, above the average of 78%, and S&P 500 companies growing earnings by a startling 50.4% from one year ago, per FactSet.