Goldman Sachs lifts S&P 500 return forecasts on Fed outlook, large-cap stocks

SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Goldman Sachs has raised its three-, six- and 12-month return forecasts for the S&P 500, citing expectations of U.S. interest rate cuts and continued fundamental strength of major large-cap stocks as key drivers of its positive outlook. The Wall Street bank has revised its S&P 500 return forecasts, projecting a 3% gain over three months and an 11% gain over 12 months, targeting index levels of 6,400 and 6,900, respectively. "Earlier and deeper Fed easing and lower bond yields than we previously expected, continued fundamental strength of the largest stocks, and investors' willingness to look through likely near-term earnings weakness support our revised S&P 500 forward P/E forecast of 22 times from 20.4 times," analysts said in a note late on Monday.