With the Dow Jones Industrial Average on track for its best January since 1989 and the Standard & Poor's 500 off to its fastest start since 1997, it seems most pros are expecting a banner year.
They say history is on the side of the bulls. When the S&P 500 gained at least 5 percent in January, it has almost always finished the year with a very strong double-digit gain.
Just check out this chart:
Year | Jan Gain | Year Gain |
1951 | 6.02% | 16.35% |
1954 | 5.12% | 45.02% |
1961 | 6.32% | 23.31% |
1967 | 7.82% | 20.09% |
1975 | 12.28% | 31.55% |
1976 | 11.83% | 19.15% |
1980 | 5.76% | 25.77% |
1985 | 7.41% | 26.33% |
1987 | 13.18% | 2.03% |
1989 | 7.11% | 27.25% |
1997 | 6.13% | 31.01% |
Average 24.33%