MarketCrash

Shiller PE Ratio (CAPE) — Cyclically Adjusted PE

Nobel laureate Robert Shiller's valuation metric strips out short-term noise with 10 years of smoothed earnings. When CAPE exceeds 30, history shows the market is skating on thin ice.

Shiller PE Ratio

Cyclically Adjusted PE Ratio (CAPE). Measures stock market valuation relative to 10-year average earnings. High values indicate overvaluation.

Thresholds: Negative >35 • Warning ≥25 • Positive <25

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What Is the Shiller PE Ratio?

The CAPE ratio divides the S&P 500 price by the average of 10 years of inflation-adjusted earnings. By smoothing earnings across a full business cycle, it avoids the distortions that plague the standard PE ratio during booms and recessions.

How It's Calculated:

  • CAPE = S&P 500 Price / 10-Year Avg Real Earnings
  • Earnings adjusted for CPI inflation
  • Smooths out business cycle fluctuations
  • Historical average: approximately 16-17

Valuation Thresholds:

  • Below 15: Undervalued — historically strong returns ahead
  • 15-25: Fair value range
  • 25-35: Overvalued — below-average future returns
  • Above 35: Extreme — every prior instance preceded a crash

CAPE and Future Returns

Research shows a strong inverse relationship between CAPE levels and subsequent 10-year returns. When CAPE is high, future returns tend to be low — and vice versa. This makes it one of the best tools for setting long-term return expectations.

CAPE Below 15

Historical 10-year average annual return: ~10-12%. Markets at these levels have been springboards for strong bull runs.

CAPE 20-30

Historical 10-year average annual return: ~4-6%. Decent but below the long-term average of 7-10%.

CAPE Above 30

Historical 10-year average annual return: ~0-3%. Often accompanied by significant drawdowns along the way.

Historical Extremes

The CAPE hit 44.2 in December 1999 — the highest in history — right before the dot-com crash wiped out 78% of the NASDAQ. It reached 27.5 before the 2008 crisis. Extreme CAPE readings don't tell you when the crash will happen, but they tell you the market is priced for perfection with no room for error.

Shiller PE data provided for educational purposes only. Not investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results.