the Santa Claus Rally     ... maybe
'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring, not the click of a mouse.
The stocks were hung by the chimney with care
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

Investors were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of gains danced in their heads.
And Funds were sleeping, and Stocks in repose,
They had just settled down for a long winter's doze.

When out of the market there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Stocks were gaining ... and Funds, the same,
And old St. Nick was calling their name:

"Now T, now MO, now GM and BBD!
On DOW, on NASDAQ, on S&P and TSE!
To the top of the charts! To the top of the Wall!
Now dash away, Stocks, dash away all!"


As Christmas approaches,
everybuddy looks forward to the
Santa Claus Rally and ...

>Huh?
That's where the market
goes up in December,
the week after Christmas
... perhaps in anticipation
of the January Effect.
>Huh?
See January Stuff.

Anyway, here's a few pictures of the S&P 500, where we look at the daily Gains in December, before and after Christmas, from 1950:




>So how often is there a Santa Claus Rally? It looks like ...
About 65% of the time, over the past 52 years, but Santa has been less generous over the latter half of that period

>But look at year 2000! It's terrific and ...
Wait! Let's look more carefully as the days went by, in December, and the market goes UP then DOWN then UP
and that last UP is ...
>After Christmas?
After Christmas.