Earnings Growth - Historical Growth Rates

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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