Historical Growth Rates
According to economist Robert Shiller, earnings per share on the S&P 500 grew at a 3.8% annualized rate between 1874 and 2004 (inflation-adjusted growth rate was 1.7%). Since 1980, the most bullish period in U.S. stock market history, real earnings growth according to Shiller, has been 2.6%.
The table below gives recent values of earnings growth for S&P 500.
| Date | Index | P/E | EPS growth (%) | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12/31/2007 | 1468.36 | 17.58 | 1.4 | |
| 12/31/2006 | 1418.30 | 17.40 | 14.7 | |
| 12/31/2005 | 1248.29 | 17.85 | 13.0 | |
| 12/31/2004 | 1211.92 | 20.70 | 23.8 | |
| 12/31/2003 | 1111.92 | 22.81 | 18.8 | |
| 12/31/2002 | 879.82 | 31.89 | 18.5 | |
| 12/31/2001 | 1148.08 | 46.50 | -30.8 | 2001 contraction resulting in P/E Peak |
| 12/31/2000 | 1320.28 | 26.41 | 8.6 | Dot-com bubble burst: March 10, 2000 |
| 12/31/1999 | 1469.25 | 30.50 | 16.7 | |
| 12/31/1998 | 1229.23 | 32.60 | 0.6 | |
| 12/31/1997 | 970.43 | 24.43 | 8.3 | |
| 12/31/1996 | 740.74 | 19.13 | 7.3 | |
| 12/31/1995 | 615.93 | 18.14 | 18.7 | |
| 12/31/1994 | 459.27 | 15.01 | 18.0 | |
| 12/31/1993 | 466.45 | 21.31 | 28.9 | |
| 12/31/1992 | 435.71 | 22.82 | 8.1 | |
| 12/31/1991 | 417.09 | 26.12 | -14.8 | |
| 12/31/1990 | 330.22 | 15.47 | -6.9 | July 1990-March 1991 contraction. |
| 12/31/1989 | 353.40 | 15.45 | . | |
| 12/31/1988 | 277.72 | 11.69 | . | Bottom (Black Monday was October 19, 1987) |
The Federal Reserve responded to decline in earnings growth by cutting the Intended federal funds rate (from 6.00 to 1.75% in 2001) and raising them when the growth rates are high(from 3.25 to 5.50 in 1994, 2.50 to 4.25 in 2005).
Read more about this topic: Earnings Growth
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