Elections Pass, Stocks March On
Investors spent most of 2024 shrugging off macro geopolitical fears -- energy, climate change, conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East -- that could potentially have disrupted market returns. Instead, the narratives driving the markets have been much more focused on AI, resilient growth, and lower interest rates, with seemingly little worry about who sits in the White House.
As of market close on Election Day, the S 500 was up 21.93% and the up 24.88% for the year, far better than the nearly 5% year-to-date performance of the average presidential election year going back to 1950. In fact, 2024 has been the best 10-month run for U.S. stocks of any election year since 1936.
But political concerns inevitably seemed more pressing as the fiercely contested presidential race resulted in a projected victory for Republican nominee Donald Trump.
Source Fool.com
