Market Index Analyses

This analysis shows historical market index performance (close values or percentage returns) during a specified period of time. Market index performance may be viewed sequentially by day, week, month, quarter, year, or decade within specified date boundaries. Average percentage returns for market index performance may also be examined for months (January through December), quarters (Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4), and weekdays (Monday through Friday).

This analysis uses past market index performance during a specified period of time to calculate the growth of an amount invested in a market index fund (tracking the same index) over the same period of time. The tool enables a convenient retroactive approach to look back at market performance.

It provides a great way to better understand how market indices have previously performed over short and long periods of time. The analysis also provides a great teaching tool to convey financial literacy concepts to young individuals, and especially about the importance of time and compounding interest as fundamentals of financial planning.

Often, we wonder what we could have done with the money we spent on a "want" at some previous point in our life. How many of us regret spending a large amount of money on that "thing" that brought us pleasure for a short time, or is now just sitting and not getting much use (e.g., motorcycle, weekend car, expensive first-generation electronic gadget, unnecessarily expensive vacation that could have brought the same level of joy and liberation for much less, etc.)? Well, that is life! This analysis can show you exactly (to date) how much an investment of similar amount in an index fund would have grown since that splurge.

This analysis uses past market index performance during a specified period of time to calculate the projected growth of an amount invested in a market index fund (tracking the same index) during a future period of time.

While past market index performance is never a guaranteed predictor of future performance, such a historical analysis does provide an aggregate view of how market indices have performed over short and long periods of time. In particular, if the analysis is set to cover a long period of time over which the market index performance is captured, the average annual performance over this long period of time provides a reasonable and conservative metric by which future projected performance can be estimated.

This analysis allows you to find out when market indices exhibited all-time high records based on market index end-of-day close values. The analysis can be performed sequentially (i.e., chronologically) for a specified period of time within start and end date boundaries. The period of time can be day, week, month, quarter, year, or decade. In addition, the analysis can be performed to determine total all-time high records for any repeating time period. In this case, the time period can be weekdays (Monday through Friday), months of the year (January through December), quarters of the year (Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4), or half-years (January to June and July to December). For each analysis, in addition to all-time high record counts, some additional details (end-of-day value and date) related to the all-time high records are shown.

The following questions can be answered by this analysis tool. Which month or quarter has historically seen the highest number of all-time high records? Which year or decade had the highest number of all-time high records?

This analysis determines the largest fluctuations (gains and losses) in market index performance during a specified period of time. The period of time can be day, week, month, quarter, year, or decade. The analysis will be performed for as many time periods that fall within the selected start and end dates.

This analysis is useful when one wishes to find the answer to questions such as: When was and what was the magnitude of the largest single-day gain/loss in market index performance? The same question can be asked for other time periods (week, month, quarter, year, decade).

Another question easily answered by this analysis is: When was the best and/or worst market index performance during a specified period of time?

Fluctuation can be reported by using three difference metrics: (1) by comparing the end-of-day close value for the selected time period to the end-of-day close value of the preceding time period, (2) by comparing the open and close values for the selected time period, or (3) by comparing the lowest and highest values observed for the selected time period.

This analysis allows you to determine consecutive gains and losses in market index performance for a specified period of time within start and end date boundaries. The period of time can be day, week, month, quarter, year, or decade.

This analysis can be used to determine the longest running time periods of gains and losses in market index performance. Moreover, consecutive gains/losses leading to the largest percentage (%) gains/losses can be determined.

This tool allows for historical analyses of market index performance up to a defined point in time. Historical analyses can be for month-to-date (up to a certain day in any given month), quarter-to-date (up to a certain date in any given quarter), year-to-date (up to a certain date in the year), and decade-to-date (up to a certain date in the decade).

This analysis is useful when one wishes to compare market index performance up to a certain date (in a month, a quarter, a year, or a decade) to market index performance during previous similar time periods.

This set of analyses provides historical information about the performance of market indices in relation to U.S. presidential elections, inaugurations, and terms. We have put together several ways in which you can ask questions about how market indices have reacted to U.S. presidential elections. Many predefined analyses are available and are listed below:

• Market index performance by president
• Market index performance by party affiliation
• All-time high record counts by president
• Year in office
  • First (1^st) year in office
  • Second (2^nd) year in office
  • Third (3^rd) year in office
  • Fourth (4^th) year in office
• Election
  • Election to inauguration
  • Election to end of year
  • Election year
  • Day before election day
  • Election day
  • Day after election day
  • Day before to day after election
  • Election week
  • Week before to week after election
  • Month before to month after election
• Inauguration
  • Day before inauguration day
  • Inauguration day
  • Day after inauguration day

This analysis determines the historical performance of market indices during the holiday period of time known as the Santa Claus rally. Santa Claus Rally refers to market performance during the last five (5) trading days of December and the first two (2) trading days of January.

Some consider the strength of holiday season Santa Claus rally as a sign of the general strength of the economy driven by consumer spending.