Fair assessment. I do wonder though if the longer-term increase in PE is sustainable or if it reverts to the mean. If you look at the historical PE chart, we are on the high side. But if you look at the last 40 years, and insert a linear trendline, there is a clear upward trend that has held since then that we currently would be below. I have to do some more research to determine my position on this question.
https://www.macrotrends.net/2577/sp-500-pe-ratio-price-to-earnings-chart
Edit, OK, I've graphed the PE ratio relative to the S&P (also the FFR and inflation) and have noticed a pattern in the PE ratio that has held for awhile.
1) It spikes with each recession. Earnings drop faster than stock market prices. Then as you pull out of the recession, the PE ratio falls for another 2 to 5 years. It's like the stock prices are overly cautious post-recession to reward the improving earnings from the recession lows. Stock prices rise post-recession, but not as fast as the earnings.
2) PE tends to rise leading into the recession. It's as if earnings begins to slow but investors don't catch on until the PE ratio has risen too high and then it continues to rise through the recession as earnings fall faster than stock prices.
3) For the market aggregate, earnings appear to lead and stock prices follow with as much as a couple of years of lagging. Don't get me wrong, earnings and stock prices appear to share the same inflection points historically. But the rate of change is what lags. PE ratio is at least partially a function of where you are in the economic cycle. So to me it doesn't make sense to view PE ratio as only a historical average for comparison.
You have to analyze where you are in the economic cycle to understand the PE ratio. And in some ways, the PE ratio foreshadows the next phase of the economic cycle and therefore the direction of the broader market. SEP2022 marks the PE bottom post the pandemic recession. It's been climbing since as investors regain their confidence. My guess is it continues to climb until after the next recession, whenever that occurs.
4) Also, I am noticing that economic expansions over the last 40 years seem to be for longer periods than periods prior to this. This may be a function of the maturation of our economy and certainly correlates to lower average inflation and FFR over this period. Of course, we just experienced a very extended period of very high inflation, but relative to the 70s/80s, we are in a better position there now. What we have experienced over the last 4 years is still a significant setback to strong and even steady growth, kind of a throwback to the 70's/80's style stagflation but on a lesser scale.
5) Projections (and I am not an economist, just have taken several econ and finance courses and am a scientist by formal education): I suspect PEs continue to trend upward and so does the stock market for at least a few years with inflation remaining a stubborn thorn in our side for a year or more longer. It may have gotten a bit frothy lately and hence this week's strong pullback. Then I suspect inflation returns to the Fed target particularly if we get a change in fiscal policy that is less stimulative and less combative with the Fed's monetary policy after the election. This would result in a little more stable growth and some improvement in things like real wage growth and inflation-adjusted ROI that would benefit from lower inflation.
6) I still need to look more in depth at the money supply to inform my projections better. I think I heard that it is starting to grow again, but I want to look at the full data going back to 1950 or so. I also am concerned about the FED prematurely and IMO foolishly cutting rates perhaps from political pressures of election season. I don't see any benefit to that right now. Inflation is still running 50% higher than the FED mandate and cuts could very well rekindle increasing inflation. I'd like to stamp that out or at least back to the FED mandate of 2% inflation before we talk rate cuts. I think that would be the responsible thing to do. So if they cut too early, they may spark re-inflation which could lead to another recession.