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Does Black Friday Matter For Gains The Rest Of The Year?

Published 11/29/2015, 01:29 AM

We are entering one of the most bullish times of the year historically. As we mentioned last week, the final 30 trading days of the year have been higher each of the last 12 years.

SPX Returns, Final 30 Trading Days

Getting to this past Friday, known as Black Friday – the official start to the holiday spending season. We’ve seen many stats that show this day isn’t quite as important as it once was. From many sales now starting on Thanksgiving, to Cyber Monday, tomorrow – there are other times people are looking for the best deals. Nonetheless, Black Friday always gets a lot of hype and we wanted to look to see if this day really mattered or not.

Recently, Black Friday has been rather weak – down five of the past six years.

Black Friday Performance, Recent Years

Did it matter the past six years? Did a weak Black Friday hurt what happened in December? Not so much, as five of the past six years were in the green.

December Market Performance 2009-2015

What about the week after Thanksgiving and Black Friday? Up six of the past seven years and up nearly half a percent on average going back 20 years.

SPX Return Week After Thanksgiving/Black Friday

Here’s how all Black Fridays have done going back 20 years and the subsequent S&P 500 performance the rest of the year. The rest of the year is usually bullish. In fact, 10 of the past 12 years have sported a gain after Black Friday till the end of the year and eight of the past nine years.

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Black Friday Returns and Rest of Year Results

Lastly, does a good or bad Black Friday matter? Wouldn’t you know it, a red Black Friday bodes better for the rest of the year? In the end, when Black Friday is red, the rest of the year is higher by nearly a three-to-one margin and the median return is nearly twice as high.

Black Friday Returns + Rest Of Year Results If B.F. Is Higher

Black Friday Returns and Rest of Year Results

The bottom line, Black Friday might get a lot of hype, but the end of the year is usually bullish for future gains.

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Latest comments

Brad SmithDec 02, 2015, 01:39
Thanks for your quick input Chris. Black Friday does indeed get quite a bit of hype but it's overall impact on the rest of the year is minimal as it is just a single day. Many investors have been and continue to look towards Black Friday erroneously as a signal for the rest of the year. Sooner or later, they'll probably realize that Black Friday is just not all that important.
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