View from the Observation Deck  

1. Today's blog post is an update of one we did on 1/6/15 (click here to view). There was a significant downward adjustment in the energy sector for 2015, as well as other notable changes.  
2. With respect to the 2015 earnings growth rate estimates, the indices in the chart with positive double-digit projections (7 indices...down from 10 using data from 1/4/15) are as follows (Highest-Lowest): MSCI Europe; S&P 500 Health Care; S&P 600; S&P 400; S&P 500 Information Technology; S&P 500 Consumer Discretionary; and S&P 500 Industrials.
3. With respect to the 2016 earnings growth rate estimates, the indices in the chart with positive double-digit projections (14 indices...down from 15 using data from 1/4/15) are as follows (Highest-Lowest): S&P 500 Energy; S&P 500 Materials; S&P 600; S&P 500 Consumer Discretionary; S&P 400; S&P 500 Health Care; Nikkei 225; MSCI Emerging Markets; S&P 500; S&P 100; MSCI Europe; MSCI World (ex U.S.); S&P 500 Information Technology; and S&P 500 Financials. 

This chart is for illustrative purposes only and not indicative of any actual investment. The illustration excludes the effects of taxes and brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred when investing. There can be no assurance that any of the projections cited will occur. Investors cannot invest directly in an index. The S&P 500 Index is a capitalization-weighted index comprised of 500 stocks used to measure large-cap U.S. stock market performance, while the 10 major S&P 500 Sector Indices are capitalization-weighted and comprised of S&P 500 constituents representing a specific sector. The S&P 100 Index is a capitalization-weighted index based on 100 highly capitalized stocks selected from the S&P 500 for which options are listed. The S&P 400 Index is a capitalization-weighted index that tracks the mid-range sector of the U.S. stock market. The S&P 600 Index is a capitalization-weighted index that tracks U.S. stocks with a small market capitalization. The MSCI World (ex-U.S.) Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed markets. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure equity market performance of emerging markets. The MSCI Europe Index is a free-float weighted index designed to measure the performance of the developed equity markets in Europe. The Nikkei 225 Index is a price-weighted average of 225 top-rated Japanese companies listed in the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

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