Current stock market forecast models from top Wall Street firms project continued momentum in semiconductor stocks, fueled by AI infrastructure buildouts. The Nasdaq is expected to remain volatile but trend upward toward the 16,000 level by year-end if GDP growth meets the forecasted 2.3% rate. Traders are closely watching inflation metrics as a key driver for near-term price action. There's just one caveat: We've only ever had one prior period where the S&P 500 valuation climbed above a Shiller PE of 40. The dot-com bubble popping was followed in quick succession by the global financial crisis, which led to the so-called "lost decade." " Stronger than expected jobs growth and stable unemployment underlines the resilience of the U.S. labor market in the face of recent shocks," Lindsay Rosner, head of multisector fixed income investing at Goldman Sachs, wrote in an email to IBD. The near-term stock market forecast points toward easing volatility as VIX levels drop below