Dow

The Dow has risen 77% of the time from the day after Christmas through the first two trading days of January.

Based on its performance since its creation in 1896, the Dow has risen 77% of the time over this period, producing an average gain of 1.44%.

That compares with an average gain of 0.16% over all other periods of equal length since 1896, over which the Dow rose 56% of the time.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average had fallen 449 points, to its lowest level in four years, and most of the market-moving news was coming not from the private sector but from government officials.

That is largely due to the S&P 500’s record-setting recovery from the April selloff, which saw it return to record territory more quickly than any previous decline of 15% or more, Dow Jones Market Data has shown.