Sure, it took nearly 66 months, but the Standard & Poor's 500 is finally back to where it peaked in 2007.
The broad-based market index broke through its historic closing high Thursday morning, raising hopes that the event could generate another psychological boost that would help continue the strong 2013 rally.
The old mark of 1,565.15 fell quietly, during a low-volume, pre-holiday-weekend trading day that served as a stark contrast to the previous five and a half years of market turmoil.
The S&P's bluechip counterpart, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, eclipsed its 2007 high on March 5 and has set a succession of new tops since then.
While traders usually dismiss round figures and even all-time records as meaningless within the broader scope of market activity, the new S&P mark still served as a road sign of how much damage had been undone to the market since the 666 intraday low in March 2009.
Next up for the average is a break above its intraday high of 1,576.09 set on Oct. 11, 2007.
(Read More: Worried About US? Hey, It Sure Beats Other Places)
"An average person you talk to says, 'I guess things are starting to get better,'" said Brian Lazorishak, senior portfolio manager at Chase Investment Counsel. "Maybe if you significantly take out those old highs, not by just a couple points but really start to move forward, that does bring in some additional funds from the sidelines."