The best days of the year: Which calendar days have been strongest for stocks?
The 20 strongest calendar days for the S&P 500 since 1957, ranked by their average one-day return across every year the date was a trading day. The strongest single day has been Dec 26 (average +0.55%, up 82% of years).
| # | Day | Average | Years up | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dec 26 | +0.549% | 82% | 39 |
| 2 | Oct 28 | +0.532% | 70% | 50 |
| 3 | Nov 24 | +0.508% | 79% | 39 |
| 4 | Apr 9 | +0.491% | 64% | 45 |
| 5 | Apr 17 | +0.433% | 69% | 48 |
| 6 | Oct 20 | +0.357% | 61% | 49 |
| 7 | Mar 17 | +0.345% | 62% | 50 |
| 8 | May 27 | +0.333% | 58% | 43 |
| 9 | Jul 3 | +0.323% | 75% | 40 |
| 10 | Oct 13 | +0.321% | 52% | 50 |
| 11 | Oct 29 | +0.320% | 56% | 48 |
| 12 | Nov 5 | +0.313% | 70% | 46 |
| 13 | Mar 26 | +0.310% | 58% | 50 |
| 14 | Nov 3 | +0.308% | 66% | 47 |
| 15 | Nov 2 | +0.304% | 63% | 46 |
| 16 | Dec 16 | +0.302% | 62% | 50 |
| 17 | Mar 1 | +0.297% | 60% | 48 |
| 18 | Jan 31 | +0.293% | 61% | 49 |
| 19 | Oct 5 | +0.292% | 61% | 49 |
| 20 | Nov 21 | +0.288% | 64% | 50 |
Patterns describe the past and can stop working. Not investment advice.
See it in the calendar →Other patterns
The Santa Claus rallyDoes the market really rally at the end of December?Sell in May and go awayIs the May–October stretch really weaker?The September effectIs September the worst month for stocks?The worst days of the yearWhich calendar days have been weakest for stocks?The turn-of-the-month effectDo stocks do better around the start of each month?The presidential election cycleHow do stocks do in each year of a presidential term?The January barometerAs goes January, so goes the year?