The favorable
market performance associated with many
historical economic expansions is fully accounted for by 1) favorable post-recession valuations, with the S&P 500 averaging less than 9 times prior peak earnings at the recession low, expanding to just over 11 times peak earnings in the first year of the
bull market,
and 2) favorable trend uniformity, which typically emerges almost immediately in the form of a powerful breadth thrust off of a
bear market low,
and is confirmed within a few weeks by much broader trend uniformity.