Why in the world would Major League Baseball home run statistics track the U.S. stock market?
It's tempting to dismiss such a finding as a wild coincidence or a fluke, but as you can see in the chart, the relationship between the two has persisted for nearly 150 years. What's more, it gets even stronger if you add strikeouts into the mix. Most hitters and pitchers don't check stock tickers before swinging and flinging, and most stock investors don't check baseball stats before buying and selling. So what's the connection? The simplest explanation is that society's overall mood influences performance in both arenas.
For example, on Friday, June 2 of this year, the Dow Jones Industrial Average set a new all-time high for the first time in three months. The next day, confidence wafted on the breeze, along with the aromas of hot dogs and popcorn, as Seattle Mariners catcher Mike Zunino stepped up to the plate and gracefully swatted a "mammoth" grand slam. Zunino later told the Associated Press: "It's just nice to step in the box and feel like you can hit."