Why Stocks Are Poised To Soar Again In 2024

[Zacks | Our Research. Your Success.] WeekendWisdom Tactics that Work in Good Markets and Bad [Kevin Matras - Editor] Why Stocks Are Poised To Soar Again In 2024 By: Kevin Matras January 20th, 2024 --------------------------------------------------------------- Stocks got off to a slow start this year. But that appears to have changed last week. The Dow is now up 0.46%, the S&P is up 1.47%, and the Nasdaq is up by 2.00%. After last year’s spectacular performance, which was led by the Nasdaq’s 43% gain, and the S&P’s 24%, not to mention double-digit returns for each of the big three indexes in just the last 2+ months alone for 2023, there was bound to be some profit taking as many investors sold after the first of the year (rather than at the end of last year), to push their tax obligations into 2025 rather than this year. But it looks like that profit taking is over and the next leg up has begun. And the outlook is for another fantastic year. For one, the 4-year Presidential cycle shows that year 4 (that's this year), is the second-best year of all four years (second only to year 3 (last year), which is the best year of all four years). Moreover, earnings estimates for the S&P 500 are pointing to a trend of improvement with Q1'24 expected to show earnings up 4.6% and sales up 3.8%; Q2'24 expected to show earnings up 10.1% and sales up 4.8%; and Q3'24 expected to show earnings up 7.6% and sales up 5.1%. Add in that inflation is on the decline, and interest rates are expected to do the same, it looks like this year should be another solid year for the market. But there are even more compelling reasons why stocks are set to soar. Statistical Trends While the Dow, just a few short weeks ago, eclipsed their all-time high from January 2022, and continues to trade above it, the S&P finally took out their previous all-time from 2022 as well on Friday. (And the other indexes are not far behind.) I specifically mention the S&P because after 24 long months of trading below their previous all-time highs, they finally crossed that threshold. This is important because history shows in the previous 14 times when the S&P has gone at least a full year without a new high, and then finally made one – a year later it was higher in 13 out of those 14 times, and up nearly 15% on average. Additionally, the big gains we saw in November of last year, also bodes well for more gains to follow. Once again, history shows that when the S&P was up by more than 8% in a single month (November was up by 8.91%), (this has happened 30 times since 1950), a year later the index was higher in 27 out of those 30 times (that's 90% of the time), with an average return of 15.8%. Pretty compelling stats. Bull Markets As you know, all of the major indexes are in a bull market. This is important to know because the stats of what happens after a bull market begins are worth pointing out. In a study of the top 10 bear markets (using the Dow), the rallies that followed have been spectacular. Within a year after a bear market, stocks surge on average of 44.7%. And go on to gain an average of 66.3% by year 3. And following the biggest bear market in that study (10/2007-3/2009 during the housing/financial crisis, aka the Great Recession), the market gained 63.4% in year 1; 100.6% by year 3; and 153.6% by year 5. Those are portfolio transforming moves. And the Dow is currently only 14 months into the official start of their bull market, while the Nasdaq and the S&P are only in months 8 and 7 respectively. Continued . . . [Saturday Deadline: Claim Your Free Copy of Finding #1 Stocks]( One single idea changed Kevin Matras' life as an investor, allowing him to tap into the greatest force driving stock prices. In Finding #1 Stocks, Kevin explains his top stock-picking secrets and strategies based on this powerful concept. In 2022...while the market lost -18.2%...these strategies produced gains up to +39.7%.¹ You can take full advantage of them without attending a single class or seminar, in a lot less time than you think. Opportunity ends midnight Saturday, January 20. [Get your free book now »]( Peak Inflation Is Behind Us Last week's Consumer Price Index (CPI), and Producer Price Index (PPI) inflation reports confirm that inflation is on the decline. The core (ex-food & energy) CPI (retail inflation) is currently at 3.9% y/y. That's down from last year's summer high of 6.6%. The core PPI (wholesale inflation) is at 1.8% y/y, also down from last year’s summer peak of 8.2%. And the latest Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) index (the Fed's preferred inflation gauge), showed inflation at 3.2% y/y, down from last year's peak of 5.3%. Moreover, the Fed's latest forecast is for core PCE to fall to 2.4% in 2024, and 2.1% in 2025. With inflation on the decline, Fed Chair, Jerome Powell, said "it's not likely we will hike again." And with that, they forecast they will cut rates 3 times this year (presumably by 25 basis points each for a total of 75 basis points), which is 1 more rate cut than their previous estimate. In fact, they see 3 rate cuts in 2024; 4 rate cuts in 2025; and 3 rate cuts in 2026. That would put the Fed Funds midpoint at 4.63% in 2024; 3.63% in 2025; and 2.88% in 2026. (Currently it's at 5.38%.) Although, many are expecting the Fed will cut rates 4-5 times this year (100 to 125 basis points), and begin as early as March. Either way, rates ceasing to go higher, and beginning to go lower this year, is bullish for the market. The Outlook Is For Growth At the same time, the Fed has ratcheted up their forecast for economic growth. They now see full-year GDP coming in at 2.6% for 2023, up from their previous estimate of 2.1%, and 1.0% before that. And they see growth in 2024 and 2025 as well. While Q4'23 GDP has not been released yet, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, via their GDP Now forecast, is estimating it to come in at 2.4%. That comes on the heels of Q3's blistering 5.2% growth rate, following Q2's 2.1%, and Q1's 2.0%. For those still talking about a recession, it's hard to make a case for that (defined as 2 quarters in a row of negative GDP), when the economy is expanding. It's also worth noting that personal incomes are hovering near all-time highs. And consumer spending remains strong. Important points when you consider that roughly 70% of our GDP is driven by consumer spending. And with the jobs market still so tight, that continues to underpin the economy. None of that is consistent with a recession, and why the outlook is for growth. Stocks Are Undervalued Let's also not forget that valuations are down. While the P/E ratio for the S&P has risen from their lows, they are still down sharply from 2021's peak, and are below where they were the last time stocks were at this level. And that makes stocks a bargain. At the same time, the earnings outlook is one of stability, and for many, growth. Not only did this past earnings season come in better than expected, companies largely provided reassuring guidance for the coming quarters, with many upping their outlook. The latest earning season (for Q4'23) has officially just begun last week. (Earnings season is always an exciting time since stocks typically go up during earnings season.) And looking out to this year, the sales and earnings estimates provided at the top of this article for Q1'24, Q2'24 and Q3'24, clearly shows the upward trend of improvement. And stocks should follow suit. Do What Works So how do you fully take advantage of the market right now? By implementing tried and true methods that work to find the best stocks. For example, did you know that stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buy have beaten the market in 29 of the last 35 years (an 82% win ratio) with an average annual return of more than 24% per year? That's more than 2 x the S&P, including 4 bear markets and 4 recessions. And consistently beating the market year after year can add up to a lot more than just two times the returns. Did you also know that stocks in the top 50% of Zacks Ranked Industries outperform those in the bottom 50% by a factor of 2 to 1? There's a reason why they say that half of a stock's price movement can be attributed to the group that it's in. Because it's true! Those two things will give any investor a huge probability of success and put you well on your way to beating the market. But you're not there yet, as those two items alone will only narrow down a field of 10,000 stocks to the top 100 or so. Way too many to trade at once. So, the next step is to get that list down to the best 5-10 stocks that you can buy. Proven Profitable Strategies Picking the best stocks is a lot easier when there's a proven, profitable method to do it. And by concentrating on what has proven to work in the past, you'll have a better idea as to what your probability of success will be now and in the future. Of course, this won't preclude you from ever having another losing trade. But if your stock picking strategy picks winners more often than losers, you can feel confident that your next trade will have a high probability of success. Here are a few of my favorite strategies that have regularly crushed the market year after year. New Highs: Studies have shown that stocks making new highs have a tendency of making even higher highs. And this strategy proves it. The alignment of positive price action and strong fundamentals creates all the necessary conditions to see these stocks soar to even greater heights. Over the last 24 years (2000 through 2023), using a 1-week rebalance, the average annual return has been 36.3% vs. the S&P's 7.0%, which is 5.2 x the market. Small-Cap Growth: Small-caps have historically outperformed the market time and time again. Often these are newer companies in the early part of their growth cycle, which is when they grow the fastest. This strategy combines the aggressive growth of small-caps with our special blend of growth and valuation metrics for explosive returns. Over the last 24 years (2000 through 2023), using a 1-week rebalance, the average annual return has been 44.9%, beating the market by 6.4 x the returns. Filtered Zacks Rank 5: This strategy leverages the Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys, and adds two time-tested filters to narrow the list of stocks down to five high probability picks each week. Over the last 24 years (2000 through 2023), using a 1-week rebalance, the average annual return has been 44.7%, which is 6.4 x the market. The best part about these strategies (aside from the returns) is that all of the testing and hard work has already been done. There's no guesswork involved. Just point and click and start getting into better stocks on your very next trade. Where To Start There's a simple way to add a big performance advantage for your stock-picking success. It's called the [Zacks Method for Trading: Home Study Course](. With this fun, interactive online program, you can master the Zacks Rank in your own home and at your own pace. You don't have to attend a single class or seminar. Zacks Method for Trading covers the investment ideas I just shared and guides you to better trading step by step, plus so much more. You'll quickly see how to get the most out of the proven system that has more than doubled the market for over three decades. Discover what kind of trader you are, how to find stocks with the highest probability of success, and how to trade them so you can consistently beat the market no matter where stock prices are headed. You'll get the formulas behind our top-performing strategies suited for a variety of different trading styles. The best of these strategies produced gains up to +39.7% in 2022 while the S&P 500 lost -18.2%.¹ The course will also help you create and test your own stock-picking strategies. Today is the perfect time to get in. I'm giving participants free hardbound copies of my book, Finding #1 Stocks, a $49.95 value. Its 300 pages unfold virtually every trading secret I've learned over the last 25 years to beat the market. Please note: Copies of the book are limited and your opportunity to get one free ends midnight Saturday, January 20, unless we run out of books first. If you're interested, I encourage you to check this out now. [Find out more about Zacks Method for Trading: Home Study Course »]( Thanks and good trading, [Kevin Matras - signature] Kevin Zacks EVP Kevin Matras is our chart patterns and stock screening expert. He developed many of Zacks' most powerful market-beating strategies and directs the [Zacks Method for Trading: Home Study Course](. ¹ The individual strategies mentioned herein represent only a portion of the ones covered in the course. The results listed above are not (or may not be) representative of the performance of all selections made by Zacks Investment Research's newsletter editors and may represent the partial close of a position. This free resource is being sent by [Zacks.com](). We look for investment resources and inform you of these resources, which you may choose to use in making your own investment decisions. Zacks is providing information on this resource to you subject to the Zacks "Terms of Service". Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. The Zacks #1 Rank Performance covers the period beginning on January 1, 1988 through December 4, 2023. 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