Goldman Sachs’ grim message for investors: Your portfolio will flatline this year—and that’s if you’re lucky

Goldman Sachs’ grim message for investors: Your portfolio will flatline this year—and that’s if you’re lucky

As investors brace for the kickoff of the Q1 earnings season next week, there are plenty of signs that returns will be particularly hard to come by for the rest of the year.

Over the weekend, Goldman Sachs gave clients a best-case, worst-case scenario for stocks—and even the glass-half-full take looks pretty lousy. The Goldman team, led by chief U.S. equity strategist David J. Kostin, reiterates it sees the benchmark S&P 500 closing at 4,700 at year-end. That would imply stocks are set to rise only a further 4% this year.

A 4,700 handle would be a bit of a jolt to investors, as the S&P closed out 2021 at 4,766.18.