According to everything I am finding, we are way oversold long term. Now, that does not mean run out and blindly get yourself fully invested. We can also stay this was for a very long time. It does mean for the patient investor the are bargains out there..big ones…
Take a look at this chart (click chart for larger version):
“Davidson” submits:
The value to using this is to know that the average ROE for the SP500 is ~14% with about 57% of earnings paid out in Dividends and ~43% being reinvested. This provides for a Book Value growth rate of ~6% which has been remarkably consistent and in line with the SP500 earning’s chart showing the remarkable consistency of our economy. Knowledge of this consistency becomes a tool for the value player.
What you do is to convert the P/BV into a ROE to the investor. On 3/6/2009 the P/BV was 1.2 which converts to 14%/1.2 = ~11.7% return for investors who buy the SP500. Then, what must be done is compare this to the Wicksell Rate which is 5.4% today and falling.
You can look at this discrepancy as Buffett would and simply say that you are buying an 11.7% yield in a long term 5%-7% SP500 return range. The current SP500 provides sizable upside if inflation remains low. The lower the inflation the higher the SP500 valuation will be in the future during normal times.
For example:
If inflation is 1.8% the Wicksell Rate will be ~5% and the SP500 will reach about 20 P/E. If inflation drops to 1% then the Wicksell Rate becomes ~4.2% and the SP500 could reach ~25 P/E. You can also have inflation move in the opposite direction and should it move to 3% the Wicksell Rate will be ~ 6.2% and SP500 would price near ~16 P/E.
What permits an investor to enter the market during times of distress such as these is the knowledge of economic history and the trust that the growth of our economy is inherent within the free nature of our society and will continue in the future.
This is one instance in which knowledgeable investors expect history to repeat itself.