Making it to New All-Time Highs

On Friday the S&P 500 closed at 7,757.64.

That was a new all-time high. It was the 26th new high of 2026.

By my count, there have now been almost 1,400 new closing all-time highs since 1950. That’s roughly 20 new highs every year, on average.

So we’re a little on the high side this year but that’s to be expected during a bull market.

Investors who have stayed the course and reached new highs deserve some kudos.

To reach new highs again and again in the 2020s investors have had to ignore:

• A global pandemic.
• The fastest 30%+ drawdown in history.
• A supply chain crisis.
• Meme stock mania.
• A 40-year high inflation rate of 9%.
• Russia invading Ukraine.
• $140/barrel oil prices.
• The Fed hiking rates 75 basis points in back-to-back meetings.
• Short-term bond yields go from 0% to 5%.
• An inverted yield curve.
• Silicon Valley Bank crisis.
• The 2022 bear market.
• The worst bond market crash in history.
• One of the worst years ever for a 60/40 portfolio.
• Mortgage rates go from 3% to 8%.
• Everyone predicting a commercial real estate crisis.
• Evergrande/China real estate crisis.
• Government shutdowns.
• Debt ceiling stand-offs.
• U.S. credit rating downgrade.
• The Yen carry-trade unwind.
• Liberation Day tariffs.
• The Iran War.
• Oil/gas prices spike (again).
• 30-year Treasury yields move to the highest levels since 2007.
• Recession predictions every single year.
• Stagflation fears.
• 73 crash predictions from Robert Kiyosaki.
• 19 Michael Burry top calls.
• 10 straight years of worrying about stock market concentration.

Certain people will try to convince you this bull market has been easy but that’s not true.

The world is awash in negativity these days. There are constantly people trying to scare you out of the stock market. Each week comes another new reason to worry.

Congratulations if you followed your plan and are still invested at new highs.

One of these new all-time highs will be THE last high for a while before a crash.

I don’t know if that will be next month, next year or 5 years from now.

That’ll be just one more thing you have to live through until the next round of new highs.

Further Reading:
New All-Time Highs

*Charts via Exhibit A