Beautiful Virgin Islands

Saturday, Jul 05, 2025

Beware the 'melt-up:' Analysts say stocks may soar just before they collapse

Beware the 'melt-up:' Analysts say stocks may soar just before they collapse

Storm clouds appear to be gathering over Wall Street, with many analysts saying a downturn is inevitable. But before the party winds down, some expect an explosive pre-crash rally — known as a "melt-up."

Melt-ups usually occur without any obvious economic reason for the gains. They happen when investors buy assets based on greed, or fear of missing out, instead of fundamental improvements.

First, some quick context: The past five years have been very, very good for investors. The S&P 500 has grown by nearly 90%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq has grown over 140%. That includes two years of a pandemic that shuttered businesses and snarled global supply chains.

Now the market is grappling with the sobering reality that all bull runs end eventually.

Market watchers say that time may be near amid high inflation, an increasingly hawkish Federal Reserve and geopolitical turmoil. Recently JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon warned of "storm clouds on the horizon," former New York Fed president Bill Dudley said he believes a recession is "inevitable" and the yield curve is inverted — when short-term debt pays out more than long-term debt, considered a sign that a bear market could be ahead.

Yet some analysts are predicting a stock market melt-up, in a rush of irrational buying that sends assets soaring just before the bull market's collapse.

Logically, the market has to reach a top before it falls. But historically, there has been a significant acceleration toward that top in the final months before a crash: In 1928, one year ahead of the Great Depression, the Dow hit new highs before crashing by almost 90%. Before its collapse in March 2000, the Nasdaq grew nearly 200% in the 18 months prior.

Currently, sentiment data shows investors are feeling very bearish about the direction of the market, and that they have been for the past two years — during which the S&P 500 returned 75%.

Analysts, meanwhile, are more bullish on individual stocks than they have been in the past decade. Of all the stock ratings on Wall Street, more than 57% are currently "buy" ratings, the highest percentage since September 2011, according to an analysis by InvestorPlace.

"That tells me all the bad news is discounted in the market right now," said David Hunter, Contrarian Macro Advisors' chief macro strategist. "We're at an inflection point for bonds, stocks, rates and the dollar."

Investors are fearful of the Fed tightening monetary policy, Hunter says, but he thinks that inflation is reaching a peak and the tightening cycle will soon end. A quarter-percentage-point rate hike, he says, is meaningless when stock market and home values are nearly 30% above pre-pandemic levels and unemployment is historically low.

"We believe that, if the yield curve inverts, the data says the stock market will have a massive 'melt-up' over the next two years. We're talking 20% or greater gains," wrote Luke Lango, InvestorPlace senior investment analyst.

Hunter predicts that the next quarter or two will bring huge gains to investors, but the fall will also be significant. As stocks continue to soar, investors risk becoming complacent just as prices take a nosedive.

In the heat of a melt-up, investors may feel a keen sense of FOMO. But when the melt-up inevitably melts down, they may be happy they waited it out.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
×