The historical trend supporting a strong S&P 500 in late 2024 is that since 1984, when the S&P 500 returned at least 10% during the first half of the year, the index continued moving higher during the second half of the year 86% of the time3. The median second-half return in those years was 10%.
If inflation cools more quickly, the Federal Reserve might cut interest rates faster than anticipated. This would theoretically stimulate the economy and boost corporate earnings, potentially sending the S&P 500 higher.
The S&P 500's current P/E ratio is 26 times earnings, which is a premium to the 10-year average of 21.4 times earnings. This indicates that many stocks are expensive by historical standards.