Since the end of the Great Recession, equities have taken on a life of their own.
Driven by a variety of factors, stocks have continued to move higher and higher over the last few years. It’s been eight years to be exact. That’s one for the history books and it represents the second longest-running bull market in modern-day record keeping.
We’re making history, folks.
Or are we? While stocks have rallied over the last few years, there have been a few decent-sized hiccups. And in those hiccups, investment manager State Street suggests that the original bull market that started years ago has ended – perhaps a few times now. But that could mean that the current uprising is actually the start of another bull market with some room left to run.
Torrid Gains
It’s no secret that stocks have rallied hard for the better part of a decade now. Since bottoming out during the dark days of the Great Recession and Credit Crisis, the S&P 500 – as represented by the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY ) – has climbed a staggering 260%. The venerable index – along with the Dow Jones Industrials and NASDAQ Composite – continue to hit record highs with each passing trading session.
The following chart illustrates perfectly the trajectory of the S&P 500 and just how far it has climbed.
