well think of it this way - QE basically allows for cheaper money to enter the market via ZIRP. Now, if I was a corporation or a hedge fund who wanted to maximize returns, where would I put that money? Believe it or not, many corporations are sitting well in regards to their liquidity. Apple is a common long for many hedge funds (Greenlight capital, Riaff partners etc). When your hedge fund valued in the hundreds of millions has a 15% portfolio in these types of blue chips and you get good returns, do you think its advantageous to take a "risk" and invest in American labor which is costly? It seems institutions and money funds prefer the 'safe' haven of the S&P 500 when it comes to parking their money. QE in my mind has facilitated the general bullish trend in the major indexies. With little interest in borrowing, as well as many toxic assets freed up, it pays to invest in public blue chips.
The bullish upward trend seems to coincide with QE , but no one can be certain obviously. It makes some sense though that if there is cheap money to borrow, the best thing to do with it is go long in companies with good balance sheets and growth prospects. Unfortauntly, more money is being funneled there instead of actually growing our economy, especially when you consider the outsourcing the bigger companies partake in.
For now I am out of the market. Actually, I dislike ANYTHING with counterparty risk and will likely build a portfolio around physical assets, or personal business ventures. My retirement funds are parked in a very disappointing treasury bonds which are barely outpacing inflation.. Sad panda