EDITOR'S NOTE
The S&P 500 notched its fifth straight week of gains and it's up about 29% for the year.
Who could have predicted such a rally in a year that was haunted by recession fears and peppered with trade war salvos?
Not only were gains of this size unforeseeable, but the 2019 rally also defied seasonal trends, frustrating investors who traded based on historical patterns.
January, which is historically one of the weakest months for stocks, enjoyed the biggest gains in 2019, writes CNBC's Jesse Pound. June, also one of the worst periods, was the second-best month for gains, according to data from Bespoke.
What's ahead for 2020 depends largely upon whether President Donald Trump is reelected, writes CNBC's Patti Domm.
Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA, says the market fears the current raft of Democratic candidates, except for former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who joined the race late and has low polling numbers, so far.
“The only two people palatable to the market, in my opinion, are Bloomberg and Trump,” Stovall said.
Subscribe to CNBC PRO for exclusive insights and analysis, and live business day programming from around the world.
TOP NEWS
TOP VIDEO
CNBC PRO
SPECIAL REPORTS
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
