A Stock Market Indicator Rarely Seen Since 1990 Hints at a Monster Rally. Here's What Investors Should Know.

16 hours ago 3

Trevor Jennewine, The Motley Fool

Sat, Apr 19, 2025, 1:06 AM 5 min read

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The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) is presently 14% beneath the grounds precocious it reached earlier this year. The diminution started erstwhile President Donald Trump announced tariffs connected goods from China, Canada, and Mexico successful February, and the losses deepened arsenic helium added caller duties connected steel, aluminum, and auto imports.

However, it was the 10% cosmopolitan tariff and country-specific reciprocal tariffs unveiled connected April 2 that genuinely caused the banal marketplace to crash. The S&P 500 tumbled 12% during the adjacent 5 trading days arsenic Wall Street processed the extremist displacement successful U.S. commercialized policy. Many analysts stunned by the severity of the tariffs raised their recession hazard forecasts.

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Stock marketplace volatility peaked erstwhile the CBOE Volatility Index (VOLATILITYINDICES: ^VIX) reached 52.3 connected April 8, 1 of the highest readings since January 1990. But akin readings person usually been large quality for investors. The S&P 500 has usually generated monster 12-month returns pursuing VIX readings supra 50.

A bull figurine lasting  successful  beforehand   of banal  terms  charts.

Image source: Getty Images.

The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) uses prices from S&P 500 options contracts to measurement expected volatility successful the banal marketplace implicit the adjacent 30 days. The VIX is often called the fearfulness gauge by fiscal media due to the fact that volatility often coincides with panic selling. Put differently, the VIX and the S&P 500 mostly determination successful other directions.

Higher readings bespeak much volatility, portion little readings bespeak little volatility. Since 1990, the VIX has recorded an mean closing worth of 19.5, though its closing values person ranged betwixt 9.1 and 82.7. As mentioned, the VIX closed astatine 52.3 connected April 8, signaling precocious volatility. But the S&P 500 has typically generated monster returns during the twelvemonth pursuing specified precocious readings.

Since 1990, the VIX has closed supra 50 connected lone 75 trading days, acold little than 1% of the time. Importantly, the S&P 500 ever accrued during the adjacent one, three, and 5 years, according to strategist Charlie Bilello. Put differently, VIX readings supra 50 person a cleanable way grounds for predicting upside successful the banal market. The mean instrumentality during those periods is listed below:

  • One-year return: 35%

  • Three-year return: 55%

  • Five-year return: 129%

Interestingly, VIX readings supra 50 besides correlate with economical downturns. Each clip the scale has closed supra 50 since 1990, the U.S. system has been successful a recession. That does not needfully mean we are successful a recession today, but it is surely possible. Indeed, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink precocious told CNBC, "I deliberation we're precise close, if not successful a recession now."


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