Traders work on the ground on the Recent York Stock Exchange on Oct. 24, 2024.
Brendan McDermid | Reuters
Stocks typically rise after a presidential election, but investors must be prepared for some short-term choppiness first, history shows.
The three major benchmarks on average have seen gains between Election Day and year-end within the presidential election yr going back to 1980, based on CNBC data. Nonetheless, investors shouldn’t expect a straight shot up available in the market after polls close.
The S&P 500 after the election
| Election Date | Day After | Week After | Month Later | 12 months End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/3/2020 | 2.20% | 5.23% | 8.83% | 11.48% |
| 11/8/2016 | 1.11% | 1.91% | 4.98% | 4.64% |
| 11/6/2012 | -2.37% | -3.77% | -1.01% | -0.15% |
| 11/4/2008 | -5.27% | -10.62% | -15.96% | -10.19% |
| 11/2/2004 | 1.12% | 2.97% | 5.29% | 7.20% |
| 11/7/2000 | -1.58% | -3.42% | -6.17% | -7.79% |
| 11/5/1996 | 1.46% | 2.16% | 4.23% | 3.72% |
| 11/3/1992 | -0.67% | -0.31% | 2.38% | 3.76% |
| 11/8/1988 | -0.66% | -2.48% | 0.52% | 0.93% |
| 11/6/1984 | -0.73% | -2.61% | -4.49% | -1.86% |
| 11/4/1980 | 2.12% | 1.72% | 5.77% | 5.21% |
| Average | -0.30% | -0.84% | 0.40% | 1.54% |
| Median | -0.66% | -0.31% | 2.38% | 3.72% |
Source: CNBC
In actual fact, the three indexes have all averaged declines within the session and week following those voting days. Stocks have tended to erase most or all of those losses inside a month, CNBC data shows.
This implies investors shouldn’t be anticipating a right away pop on Wednesday or the subsequent few days after.
The Dow after the election
| Election Date | Day After | Week After | Month Later | 12 months End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/3/2020 | 1.34% | 7.06% | 9.06% | 11.38% |
| 11/8/2016 | 1.40% | 3.22% | 6.99% | 7.80% |
| 11/6/2012 | -2.36% | -3.70% | -1.30% | -1.07% |
| 11/4/2008 | -5.05% | -9.68% | -12.98% | -8.82% |
| 11/2/2004 | 1.01% | 3.49% | 5.47% | 7.45% |
| 11/7/2000 | -0.41% | -2.48% | -3.06% | -1.51% |
| 11/5/1996 | 1.59% | 3.04% | 5.85% | 6.04% |
| 11/3/1992 | -0.91% | -0.83% | 0.74% | 1.50% |
| 11/8/1988 | -0.43% | -2.37% | 0.67% | 1.93% |
| 11/6/1984 | -0.88% | -3.02% | -5.92% | -2.62% |
| 11/4/1980 | 1.70% | 0.73% | 3.55% | 2.86% |
| Average | -0.27% | -0.41% | 0.83% | 2.27% |
| Median | -0.41% | -0.83% | 0.74% | 1.93% |
Source: CNBC
That is very true given the prospect that the presidential race, which is taken into account neck-and-neck, might not be called by Wednesday morning. America might also have to wait for close Congressional races to have final counts for determining which party has control of either house.
The Nasdaq Composite after the election
| Election Day | Day After | Week After | Month Later | 12 months End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/3/2020 | 3.85% | 3.52% | 10.90% | 15.48% |
| 11/8/2016 | 1.11% | 1.58% | 4.31% | 3.65% |
| 11/6/2012 | -2.48% | -4.25% | -0.75% | 0.25% |
| 11/4/2008 | -5.53% | -11.19% | -18.79% | -11.41% |
| 11/2/2004 | 0.98% | 2.95% | 8.00% | 9.61% |
| 11/7/2000 | -5.39% | -8.12% | -19.41% | -27.67% |
| 11/5/1996 | 1.34% | 2.23% | 5.78% | 5.04% |
| 11/3/1992 | 0.16% | 3.83% | 8.56% | 11.97% |
| 11/8/1988 | -0.29% | -1.77% | -0.96% | 0.67% |
| 11/6/1984 | -0.32% | -1.08% | -4.58% | -1.27% |
| 11/4/1980 | 1.49% | 0.97% | 6.75% | 4.76% |
| Average | -0.46% | -1.03% | -0.02% | 1.01% |
| Median | 0.16% | 0.97% | 4.31% | 3.65% |
Source: CNBC
The “election is now center stage as the subsequent catalyst for financial markets,” said Amy Ho, executive director of strategic research at JPMorgan. “We caution that uncertainty could linger on the end result because the timeline for certifying election results could take days for the presidential race and weeks for the House races.”
This election comes amid a robust yr for stocks that has pushed the broader market to all-time highs. With a gain of about 20%, 2024 has seen the most effective first 10 months of a presidential election yr since 1936, based on Bespoke Investment Group.