Wall Street's Bull Market Third Year: S&P 500 Rises 16%
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Jan 15 2026
0mins
Source: Fool
- Market Performance: Despite a brief crash due to tariffs in April, the S&P 500 rose 16% in 2025, marking the third consecutive year of at least 15% gains, reflecting market resilience and investor confidence.
- Valuation Risks: Historical data from the Shiller P/E ratio indicates that when the market becomes overvalued, the S&P 500 typically experiences declines of 20% or more, suggesting potential volatility risks in the near term.
- Growth Opportunities: Despite high valuations, safe growth stocks remain available for investors, including Visa and Mastercard, which benefit from increased consumer spending during economic expansions and have significant growth potential in international markets.
- Pinterest's Potential: Pinterest's global monthly active users reached 600 million, with a 5% year-over-year increase in average revenue per user (ARPU), indicating enhanced advertising pricing power and the potential to attract more advertisers in the future.
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Analyst Views on MA
Wall Street analysts forecast MA stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for MA is 684.13 USD with a low forecast of 525.00 USD and a high forecast of 1088 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
24 Analyst Rating
20 Buy
4 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 521.370
Low
525.00
Averages
684.13
High
1088
Current: 521.370
Low
525.00
Averages
684.13
High
1088
About MA
Mastercard Incorporated is a technology company in the global payments industry. The Company connects consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments, digital partners, businesses and other organizations worldwide by enabling electronic payments and making those payment transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible. It provides a range of payment solutions and services using its brands, including Mastercard, Maestro and Cirrus. It operates a payments network that provides choice and flexibility for consumers, merchants and its customers. Through its proprietary global payments network, it switches (authorizes, clears and settles) payment transactions. Its additional payments capabilities include automated clearing house (ACH) transactions (both batch and real-time account-based payments). It offers security solutions, consumer acquisition and engagement, business and market insights, gateway, processing and open banking, among other services and solutions.
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Mastercard Q4 Earnings Preview: Strong Growth Expected
- Earnings Growth Expectation: Analysts forecast Mastercard's Q4 earnings to reach $4.24 per share, a 10.99% increase from last year's $3.82, indicating sustained profitability that could drive stock price appreciation.
- Revenue Growth Forecast: The anticipated Q4 revenue of $8.78 billion represents a 17.4% increase from last year's $7.49 billion, reflecting a recovery in consumer spending and increased transaction volumes, further solidifying market position.
- Dividend Increase: On December 9, Mastercard raised its quarterly cash dividend from $0.76 to $0.87 per share, demonstrating confidence in future cash flows while attracting income-focused investors and enhancing shareholder returns.
- Share Repurchase Program: The company announced a $14 billion stock repurchase program aimed at boosting earnings per share and enhancing shareholder value, signaling management's confidence in the company's future performance.

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