Benchmark stock market valuations against the US Treasury market.
The "Risk-Free" Rate benchmark
The "Fed Model" suggests that stocks and bonds compete for the same capital. Higher bond yields make stocks less attractive unless earnings yields also rise.
Relative Valuation
Stocks Undervalued vs Bonds
Earnings Yield (E/P)
5.00%
Bond Spread
+0.50%
Bond Market Influence
When the 10Y Treasury yield rises, the "discount rate" for stocks increases, making them fundamentally worth less. High rates are the enemy of high P/E stocks.
Investors are constantly choosing where to park their capital. The two primary options are "Risk-Free" government bonds and "Risky" equities. The **Fed Model** is a theory that compares the expected return of these two asset classes.
While the P/E ratio is the price you pay for earnings, the Earnings Yield is the earnings you get for the price (the inverse of P/E). A P/E of 20 equals an Earnings Yield of 5%.
The yield on the US 10-Year Treasury is considered the "Risk-Free" rate. If bonds pay 5% and stocks yield only 4%, investors have little incentive to take the risk of owning stocks.
Historically, stocks have an "Equity Risk Premium" (ERP) of about 2-3% over bonds. This extra yield compensates investors for the volatility of the stock market. When the gap between stock yields and bond yields narrows, stocks are often entering a danger zone of overvaluation.
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