--- title: "S&P 500's Historic 12.5% Monthly Rally Is One Of The Biggest In 76 Years—Why Main Street Sees A 'Growing Divide'" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/284209802.md" description: "The S&P 500 has achieved a historic 12.5% rally over four weeks, marking its 20th biggest advance since 1950. Despite this surge, expert Charlie Bilello warns of a growing divide between Wall Street and Main Street, as consumer sentiment remains low due to inflation and unemployment fears. While jobless claims are near multi-year lows and retail sales are rising, the disconnect highlights a stark contrast in economic perceptions. Bilello emphasizes that long-term investors who buy during market corrections often benefit from significant rebounds." datetime: "2026-04-27T11:40:29.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/284209802.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/284209802.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/284209802.md) --- # S&P 500's Historic 12.5% Monthly Rally Is One Of The Biggest In 76 Years—Why Main Street Sees A 'Growing Divide' The stock market is roaring back to all-time highs with a historic 12.5% four-week surge, yet a stark disconnect remains as everyday consumers grapple with economic pessimism, highlights **Charlie Bilello**. ## **The ‘Elevator Up’ Market Surge** The S&P 500 has staged a staggering comeback, gaining 12.5% over four weeks to mark its 20th biggest advance since January 1950. Chief Market Strategist at Creative Planning, Bilello, highlighted the unprecedented nature of this rapid rebound. Unlike previous massive market rallies, this surge did not emerge from the depths of a traditional bear market. Instead, the index experienced a modest 9.8% decline before rocketing upward. Bilello describes this unusual price action as “stairs down and elevator up.” The ETF tracking the S&P 500 index, **State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust** (NYSE:SPY) has also returned 12.59% over the last month, 4.50% year-to-date and 29.61% over the year. Despite the lack of a major preceding crash, history suggests the momentum could continue. Bilello notes that “strength tends to beget strength” in equities. > The 12.5% gain in the S&P 500 over the last 4 weeks was the 20th biggest 4-week advance for the index since 1950. $SPX > > Video: https://t.co/Mf86zOcPMN pic.twitter.com/On8ryToVyG > > — Charlie Bilello (@charliebilello) April 26, 2026 ## **A ‘Growing Divide’ In Sentiment** However, Wall Street’s euphoria is not being felt by the average consumer. Bilello pointed to a striking contradiction in the current macroeconomic landscape, highlighting a “growing divide” between Wall Street and Main Street. While the S&P 500 celebrates its ninth all-time high of the year, consumer sentiment has simultaneously plunged to record lows. Consumers remain heavily burdened by expectations of sticky inflation and fears of rising unemployment. Interestingly, this negative sentiment contrasts with actual economic data; jobless claims remain near multi-year lows, and retail sales continue to climb. **Read Also: S&P 500, Nasdaq Settle At Record High Levels: Investor Sentiment Edges Lower, But Fear Index Remains In 'Greed' Zone** ## **Embracing The Fear** Bilello attributes much of the stock market’s recent success to long-term investors who eagerly bought in while others were fearful. He emphasized that “panic selling is rarely rewarded, even in the short run.” By indiscriminately dumping assets during minor market corrections, emotional investors often miss out on lucrative snapback rallies. Ultimately, the data consistently show that embracing panic creates significant long-term opportunities for those willing to simply ignore the prevailing pessimism. **Read Also: Dan Ives Predicts '80%, 90%' Chance Of SpaceX-Tesla Merger By Early 2027** **_Disclaimer:_** _This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors._ _Image: Shutterstock_ ### Related Stocks - [.SPX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/.SPX.US.md) - [SPY.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SPY.US.md) - [SPXL.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SPXL.US.md) - [IVV.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/IVV.US.md) - [VOO.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/VOO.US.md) - [SSO.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SSO.US.md) - [UPRO.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/UPRO.US.md) - [.IXIC.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/.IXIC.US.md) - [TSLA.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLA.US.md) - [SSTK.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SSTK.US.md) ## Related News & Research - [Tariffs taking effect next week: Increase to 25%](https://longbridge.com/en/news/284935895.md) - [S&P 500 Earnings Season Update: May 1, 2026](https://longbridge.com/en/news/284931782.md) - [Consumer sentiment rebounds slightly after hitting lowest level on record](https://longbridge.com/en/news/284027445.md) - [A historic rally for the S&P 500 is just getting started, says Wall Street veteran who called the April 2025 bottom](https://longbridge.com/en/news/283815377.md) - [Research Alert: CFRA Reiterates Hold Opinion On Shares Of S&p Global Inc.](https://longbridge.com/en/news/284413531.md)