How do elections affect the market?

Generally, empirical studies show that markets don't like uncertainty, and once the election results are in, that uncertainty is settled. Data show that the S&P 500 does well after the mid-term elections are decided.

According to MarketWatch:

A quick look at historical performance shows that stocks often see rough sledding in the September of years that feature midterm elections —and other years as well. For midterm years, analysts often chalk it up to uncertainty, since midterms typically see the incumbent president’s party lose seats. That same look at historical performance shows that stocks tend to do just fine as Election Day nears and in the aftermath of the vote, regardless of the outcome, as uncertainty begins to fade.

It really doesn't matter who wins the elections, just that the elections are over and the uncertainty is resolved. The following data shows that, since 1930, the market is up 90 percent of the time over the following 12 months.

I wouldn't speculate on this. But having said that, I've moved funds out of money markets and will probably add to my equity holdings next week.

Why investors shouldn't speculate on mid-term elections

How mid-terms elections affect stocks

Midterm Advice: Tune Out Politics, Stick With Stocks

Comments

What happened when a Trump Supporter Challenged Me About the Wall

Vicky Alvear Schecter wrote in Medium | Poltics on Dec. 27, 2018 using her headline above. I thought it was pretty well written -- at least she made an attempt to keep her liberal bias out of it -- regardless of a few illogical fallacies.

But she does make an attempt, in an effort to avoid her liberal bias, as she ponders "...in order not to be accused by bias, I explained that I would only use conservative sources to prove my point."

To me, that's bias to start out with that premise. And I believe her premise is that she is against the wall. That's her stance. But she makes some good points, but some are skewed, even though she attempt to take a "conservative" approach, even by citing some "conservative" sources in her footnotes.

Here's the first problem: if she wanted to avoid bias, why not just stick to the the historical facts as written (when you can find them without bias), and not concern oneself with bias. "I must reject that becau…

Weekly wrap for Nov 9

After Thursday and Friday, it might seem the markets are down, but the weekly numbers tell a different story, with the three major indices up for the week. The Nasdaq, with its tech exposure, had the smallest increase. The tech sector is obviously under recent pressure.

IndexNov 2Nov 9+/-%S&P 5002,723.062,781.01+ 57.95+ 2.12%Nasdaq7,356.997,406.90+ 49.91+ 0.67%DOW 3025,270.8325,989.30+ 718.47+ 2.84%
Over the last 12 months, the Dow is up 10.77 percent, the SP 500 up 7.6 percent, and the Nasdaq up 9.7 percent.

The weekly chart of the SPY still indicates a long position in the broader market. (The blue line is the 34-week moving average; the red is the 13-week moving average).

While the U.S. economy still seems to be just fine from most reports, investors seemed to worry about a couple of things on Thursday and Friday: 1) The Eurozone, 2) trade with China, and 3) the Fed and interest rates. Another topic of interest has been oil.

First, it seems that the Fed has really not indicated …

U.S. Top Oil Producer, Thanks to Obama

\ You read that right.

The U.S. is now the largest oil producer in the world, according to the EIA, producing some 15 million BOE per day, surpassing Russia and Saudi Arabia. (Remember back when Jimmy Carter said in 1979 the answer to our energy problems was to wear a warmer sweater...but you probably don't. He actually said this on national TV).

The United States is the top oil-producing country in the world, with an average of 14.86 million b/d, which accounts for 15.3% of the world's production. This is down from 15.12 million b/d in 2015, but it was enough to land the United States in the No. 1 spot, which it has held for the past four years running. (Source: Investopedia.)

Guess who takes credit for it? Granted, this increase in production began in 2012, but only because of private industry and the fact that the price of oil was at nearly all-time highs. And it dipped in 2016 because of Obama's anti-oil policies!

But here he is again:

Former President Barack Obama sure l…

personal economics 101

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