Goldman Sachs says its 6000 price target of the S&P 500 may be 'too low'

Investing.com -- In a note to clients on Wednesday, Goldman Sachs analysts raised the possibility that their 6000 price target for the S&P 500 might actually be "too low," signaling even more bullish sentiment for U.S. equities as the year progresses.

According to Goldman Sachs, they expect a strong rally starting on October 28, despite current short-term market turbulence.

However, the near-term outlook is more cautious. Goldman Sachs warns of heightened volatility over the next three weeks, predicting that the market will react heavily to daily headlines.

The bank wrote that it is "bracing for added volatility and the market to over-trade daily headlines and themes."

The analysts note a significant drop in S&P 500 index gamma, which has declined by $14 billion, the largest shift in its dataset.

This suggests that the market has more freedom to move, and according to Goldman, it could lead to a downside skew in the short term.

Despite these near-term concerns, Goldman Sachs remains optimistic about the year-end outlook. They highlight strong systematic exposure, with institutional investors and hedge funds heavily invested.

However, the blackout window for corporate buybacks until October 25 means that a key driver of market support will be temporarily absent.

"US corporates are in blackout window until October 25th. The largest buyer of US equities in 2024 can purchase 35% less shares during the closed window," Goldman Sachs explains.

Once that window closes, Goldman expects buybacks to resume strongly in November and December, supporting further gains.

Additionally, the analysts see growing demand for Chinese equities, emphasizing that "this time is different" and pointing to increased daily demand from investors.

Source: Investing.com