It came within spitting distance on four occasions in 2015, reaching 5997 and 5995 in two sessions in March, and then going as far as 5996 and then 5985 in two trading days in April. Two years later it got as high as 5950 in April of 2017, and then 5956 in a session the following month.

Which brings us to now. A bit over two weeks into a rally that has added 255 points and bust the sharemarket out of its multi-month lethargy, and investors and assorted hangers-on are wondering whether we are building the platform for another assault on the unscaleable heights.

We are only one ot two solid trading days away: the index got as high as 5925 on Friday, and its fetching above 5900.

The temptation to roll your eyes will be strong, after all 6000 is just a number. Matthew Ross, an equity strategist at Goldman Sachs, would agree with the sentiment.

"No, I don't think it matters if the index breaches 6000," Ross says. He has a downbeat forecast for the ASX 200, placing it at 5800 in 12 months, suggesting any push would be quickly unravelled over the coming months.

Of course, the ASX 200 isn't the only measure of sharemarket success. The version including reinvested dividends, known as the ASX 200 accumulation index, is 35 per cent above its pre-GFC peaks and passed 58,000 points for the first time on Tuesday of last week.

Ross points out that the price index has struggled in large part because of Australia's high dividend yield - which lies above most if not all other developed economies' sharemarkets.

"If you look at the total return of the index, it is well above prior peaks and has performed well in a global context," Ross says.

Bank reporting season - which begins this week with ANZ's full-year results on Thursday - will surely be a defining catalyst for whether the ASX 200 can push beyond 6000.

Withs annual profits from NAB to follow on November 2 and then from Westpac four days later (CBA gives a quarterly update on the 8th), UBS analysts reckon the major banks' 2017 financial year results will be "solid".

"We expect solid, relatively clean results to be delivered as they benefit from favourable economic conditions, mortgage repricing and super-low bad and doubtful debt [BDD] charges," they write.

But, chiming with Ross's more dour 2018 prediction for the ASX, the UBS banking analysts ask: "With a very challenging outlook in 2018, can the banks keep rallying?"

They answer their question with a laundry list of worries:

"We expect the housing market to continue to slow and if this does not occur, further macro-prudential moves are very likely. Mortgage mis-selling and responsible lending risks are a growing concern. Net interest margin pressure likely to continue given interest-only switching while BDD can no longer be a tailwind.

"With a federal election likely during 2018, we believe it will be difficult for the banks to outperform."