Almanac Update

Almanac Update April 2021: Top DJIA Month – Up 15 in a Row

April marks the end of the “Best Six Months” for DJIA and the S&P 500. The window for our seasonal MACD sell signal opens on April 1st. From our Seasonal MACD Buy Signal on November 5, 2020 through the close on March 25, 2021, DJIA was up 14.9% and S&P 500 had advanced 11.4%. These above average gains are encouraging and suggest seasonality is back on track after getting derailed by Covid-19 last year.

April 1999 was the first month to ...

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31
MAR
2021

0

Almanac Update

Best Eight Months, Best Six Months, DJIA, Easter, First Day, NASDAQ, options expiration, post-election year, S&P 500, Vital Stats

Almanac Update March 2021: Softer in Post-Election Years

Tempestuous March markets tend to drive prices up early in the month and batter stocks at month end. Julius Caesar failed to heed the famous warning to “beware the Ides of March” but investors have been served well when they have. Stock prices have a propensity to decline, sometimes rather precipitously, during the latter days of the month. In March 2020, DJIA plunged nearly 4012 points (-17.3%) during the week ending on the 20th.

March packs a rather busy docket. It ...

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4
MAR
2021

0

Almanac Update

Best Eight Months, Best Six Months, DJIA, NASDAQ, options expiration, post-election year, S&P 500, Saint Patrick’s Day, Vital Stats

Almanac Update February 2021: Historically Weak in Post-Election Years

Even though February is right in the middle of the Best Six Months, its long-term track record, since 1950, is rather tepid. February ranks no better than sixth and has posted meager average gains except for the Russell 2000. Small cap stocks, benefiting from “January Effect” carryover; tend to outpace large cap stocks in February. The Russell 2000 index of small cap stocks turns in an average gain of 1.0% in February since 1979—just the sixth best month for that ...

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8
FEB
2021

0

Almanac Update

Best Eight Months, Best Six Months, DJIA, NASDAQ, options expiration, post-election year, Presidents Day, S&P 500, Vital Stats

Almanac Update January 2021: An Indicator Trifecta Historically Bullish

January has quite a reputation on Wall Street as an influx of cash from yearend bonuses and annual allocations has historically propelled stocks higher. January ranks #1 for NASDAQ (since 1971), but fifth on the S&P 500 and sixth for DJIA since 1950. January is the last month of the best three-month span and holds a full docket of indicators and seasonalities.

DJIA and S&P rankings did slip from 2000 to 2016 as both indices suffered losses in ten of those ...

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28
DEC
2020

0

Almanac Update

Best Eight Months, Best Six Months, Christmas, DJIA, First Five Days, January Barometer, January Effect, January Trifecta, Last Day, NASDAQ, options expiration, post-election year, S&P 500, Santa Claus Rally, Triple Witching, Vital Stats, Worst Four Months, Worst Six Months

Almanac Update December 2020: Small Caps Shine and Santa Visits Wall Street

December is now the number three S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrials month since 1950, averaging gains of 1.5% on each index. It’s the top Russell 2000 (1979) month and third best for NASDAQ (1971). In 2018, DJIA suffered its worst December performance since 1931 and its fourth worst December going all the way back to 1901. However, the market rarely falls precipitously in December and a repeat of 2018 is not highly likely. When December is down it is ...

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4
DEC
2020

0

Almanac Update

Best Eight Months, Best Six Months, Christmas, DJIA, election, January Effect, Last Day, NASDAQ, options expiration, S&P 500, Santa Claus Rally, September, Triple Witching, Vital Stats, Worst Four Months, Worst Six Months

Almanac Update November 2020: Top S&P 500 and DJIA Month in Election Years

November is still maintaining its status among the top performing months as fourth-quarter cash inflows from institutions drive November to lead the best consecutive three-month span November-January. However, the month has taken hits during bear markets and November 2000, down –22.9% (undecided election and a nascent bear), was NASDAQ’s second worst month on record—only October 1987 was worse.

November begins the “Best Six Months” for the DJIA and S&P 500, and the “Best Eight Months” for NASDAQ. Small caps come into ...

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6
NOV
2020

0

Almanac Update

Best Eight Months, Best Six Months, DJIA, election, NASDAQ, options expiration, S&P 500, September, Vital Stats, Worst Four Months, Worst Six Months

Almanac Update October 2020: Worst Month of Election Year

October often evokes fear on Wall Street as memories are stirred of crashes in 1929, 1987, the 554-point drop on October 27, 1997, back-to-back massacres in 1978 and 1979, Friday the 13th in 1989 and the 733-point drop on October 15, 2008. During the week ending October 10, 2008, Dow lost 1,874.19 points (18.2%), the worst weekly decline in our database going back to 1901, in percentage terms. March 2020 now holds the dubious honor of producing the worst, second ...

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2
OCT
2020

0

Almanac Update

Best Eight Months, Best Six Months, DJIA, election, NASDAQ, options expiration, S&P 500, September, Vital Stats, Worst Four Months, Worst Six Months

Almanac Update September 2020: Historically Another Challenging Month

Start of business year, end of summer vacations, and back to school made September a leading barometer month in first 60 years of 20th century, now portfolio managers back after Labor Day tend to clean house. Since 1950, September is the worst performing month of the year for DJIA, S&P 500 and NASDAQ (since 1971). Sizable gains in September 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2017 have lifted Russell 2000 to second worst (since 1979). September was creamed four years straight ...

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2
SEP
2020

0

Almanac Update

DJIA, election, Labor Day, NASDAQ, options expiration, S&P 500, September, Vital Stats

Almanac Update August 2020: Top Month in Election Years for Tech & Small Caps

Money flows from harvesting made August a great stock market month in the first half of the Twentieth Century. It was the best month from 1901 to 1951. In 1900, 37.5% of the population was farming. Now that less than 2% farm, August is amongst the worst months of the year. It is the worst DJIA, S&P 500, NASDAQ, Russell 1000 and Russell 2000 month over the last 32 years, 1988-2019 with average declines ranging from 0.1% by NASDAQ to ...

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4
AUG
2020

0

Almanac Update

August, bear market, DJIA, election, NASDAQ, options expiration, S&P 500, Vital Stats

Almanac Update July 2020: Not Much Sizzle in Election Years

July historically is the best performing month of the third quarter however, the mostly negative results in August and September tend to make the comparison easy. Two “hot” Julys in 2009 and 2010 where DJIA and S&P 500 both gained greater than 6% and a strong performance in 2013 and 2018 have boosted July’s average gains since 1950 to 1.2% and 1.1% respectively. Such strength inevitability stirs talk of a “summer rally”, but beware the hype, as it has historically ...

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1
JUL
2020

0

Almanac Update

DJIA, Election Year, Fourth of July, July, NASDAQ, S&P 500, Seasonal, Worst Four Months