Topic
S&P 500
Why the S&P 500 dominates global portfolios, when its valuation gets uncomfortable, and what to do about it as a sterling investor.
The S&P 500 has been the best-performing major equity index of the last fifteen years, which means it now sits at valuations that historically have predicted lower-than-average forward returns. It also makes up around two-thirds of the global market-cap-weighted index, which means a UK investor in a global tracker has a lot of America whether they intended to or not. None of this is a problem in itself. It just means the index needs to be understood, not blindly held.
P/E Ratio Explained covers why S&P 500 valuations matter and how to interpret the CAPE. Major Stock Market Indexes UK Investors Should Know puts the S&P 500 alongside the FTSE 100, MSCI World, and FTSE All-World for comparison. Reasonable Rate of Return covers what to actually expect from the index over a ten-to-thirty-year horizon, after fees and after sterling currency exposure.
7 articles
Major Stock Market Indexes UK Investors Should Know
Two funds both called 'global' can own wildly different things. The label is marketing. The index it tracks is the bit that decides what your retirement actually rests on.
What Is the S&P 500 and How to Buy It in the UK
You think you own 500 American companies. Look inside the S&P 500 in 2026 and the top ten holdings account for more than a third of the whole index. That's not diversification.
How to Tell If Your Investment Plan Is Working
Up 4% this year could be a disaster. Down 8% could be exactly right. The broker app's number is meaningless without a benchmark, and the benchmark almost no one is honest about.
Reasonable Rate of Return: What to Expect
Everyone has heard 'the stock market returns 10% a year'. The number is true. The reason your retirement plan should not use it is where most amateur plans quietly fall over.
Time in the Market vs Timing the Market: 45 Years of Data
We ran a Perfect Timer, a Worst Timer and a Consistent Investor through 45 years of real S&P 500 data. One of them lost. It is not the one most people guess.
SpaceX IPO: How It Could Hit Your Pension
SpaceX is listing 3.3% of its shares at a $1.75 trillion valuation. Nasdaq and S&P are rewriting their rules so your pension fund has no choice but to buy the rest at that price.
P/E Ratio Explained: Why S&P 500 Valuations Matter
One US carmaker trades at three and a half centuries of its current earnings. At that multiple, you are not buying a business. You are buying a story about one.