Subject:
S&P 500 The S&P 500 is a free-float capitalization-weighted index published since 1957 of the prices of 500 large-cap common stocks actively traded in the United States. The stocks included in the S&P 500 are those of large publicly held companies that trade on either of the two largest American stock market companies; the NYSE Euronext and the NASDAQ OMX.
After the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the S&P 500 is the most widely followed index of large-cap American stocks. It is considered a bellwether for the American economy, and is included in the Index of Leading Indicators. Some mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, and other funds such as pension funds, are designed to track the performance of the S&P 500 index. Hundreds of billions of US dollars have been invested in this fashion.
The index is the best known of the many indices owned and maintained by Standard & Poor’s, a division of McGraw-Hill. S&P 500 refers not only to the index, but also to the 500 companies that have their common stock included in the index. The ticker symbol for the S&P 500 index varies. Some examples of the symbol are ^GSPC, .INX, and $SPX. The stocks included in the S&P 500 index are also part of the broader S&P 1500 and S&P Global 1200 stock market indices. (Wikipedia Feb 2010)
Smooth sailing unlikely
By John Schroy, on May 20th, 2010 | 
Markets can be inefficient for different reasons and persist for long periods. The transition between one type of inefficient market to the next is usually a period of strife and uncertainty which may last five to fifteen years. Looking back at how the economy emerged from previous transitions, I note that in each new period, equity prices started at reasonable levels. This was true at the beginning of the Roaring Twenties, the Post WW II Period, and the Reagan Era. It is as if markets, recognizing prior inefficiencies ‘reset’ and start over. However, for the current market to ‘reset’, it will be necessary for equity prices to fall considerably, which will have dire consequences.
Commonsense Economics:
By John Schroy, on May 16th, 2010 | 
Eventually, at some point, without an efficient market, common stocks become mere baseball cards.
Sooner or later, some Baby Boomer, pressed to pay his bills in retirement, will find that one can’t live off the dividends of common stock and that when everyone is trying to cash out their holdings at the same time, market prices plunge to levels that seemed inconceivable for generations. But it will simply be the cost of allowing an inefficient market to flourish for so long.
This article discusses the concept of inefficient markets and the practical consequences.
Securities Analysis
By John Schroy, on February 26th, 2007 | 
Commonsense analysis shows that US equities are at least 40% overvalued, a conclusion supported by many academics and John Burr Williams’s formula.
This suggests that many retirement plans, based on equity investments, may be in trouble, if (or better, when) stocks fall to reasonable values.
This article, using John Burr Williams’ famous formula, shows how the market may be valued.
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