Acadiana Business

Stock market on way to second straight gain?

by Leslie Turk

Investors appear to be upbeat that the end of the presidential campaign is near.

With the end of the presidential campaign near, uncertainty is no longer dogging the stock market. Investors appear to be upbeat, evidenced by major stock indexes trading sharply higher than Election Days of past. The Dow, in fact, gained slightly more than 1 percent in midday trading.

Here's where they stood midday:

The Dow - up 141.84 points, or 1.08 percent, at 13,254.28.
Standard & Poor's 500 Index - up 11.18 points, or 0.79 percent, at 1,428.44.
Nasdaq Composite Index - up 13.39 points, or 0.45 percent, at 3,013.05.

If the rise holds, it will be the second straight day of gains in prices.

In the meantime, major news organizations like USA Today and Reuters are revisiting how the stock market has fared in Election Days past:

Nov. 6, 1984: Hours before Ronald Reagan beats Walter Mondale in a landslide for re-election, and with the economy healing after a deep recession, the Dow climbs 14 points to 1,244.
Nov. 8, 1988: The market enjoys a strong morning in anticipation of a victory by George Bush over Michael Dukakis. It holds only a fraction of the gain, and the Dow ends up two points at 2,127.
Nov. 3, 1992: An uneventful session one day after a rally based in part on speculation that a Bill Clinton presidency wouldn't hurt the markets. The Dow ends down nine points at 3,252.
Nov. 5, 1996: In the middle of a historic bull market, investors embrace hope that Democrat Clinton and a Republican Congress will keep each other in check. The Dow rises 39 to 6,081, within 13 points of its all-time high.
Nov. 7, 2000: George W. Bush and Al Gore go to the wire, and investors hold their bets. The Dow closes down 25 points at 10,952. The Dow slides as much as 5 percent during the five-week fight over the Florida vote.
Nov. 2, 2004: After a five-day winning streak, the market confronts the prospect that the race between George W. Bush and John Kerry won't be settled on Election Night. Late selling pushes the Dow down 18 points to 10,035.
Nov. 4, 2008: Investors expect an Obama victory and look ahead to a new administration to confront the financial crisis and deepening recession. At a time when wild swings are common, the Dow climbs 305 points to 9,625.