Neatly organized in an accessible calendar format, Stock Trader's Almanac 2025 enables traders around the world to make sense of the complexities of the US stock market by recognizing historical cycles, trends, and patterns that are essential to making sound investment decisions. This 58th Annual Edition has been thoroughly revised for 2025 to help readers on monthly and daily basis, explaining a wealth of proven proprietary strategies including the “January Barometer,” the “Santa Claus Rally,” the “Best Six Months,” and the four-year “Presidential Election Cycle.”
Edited by veteran trader and market strategist Jeffrey Hirsch, this 2025 Almanac is a testament to the original iconic work founder Yale Hirsch created in the first 1968 edition and the over five decades of behavioral finance thought leadership it has provided since. The Almanac remains the most valuable trader's desk reference on Wall Street and this year's edition is packed with seasonal and historic investing insights for the year ahead including: - How our Presidential Elections affect the economy and the stock market - just as the moon affects the tides - Post-Election Years Best Year of the 4-Year Cycle Since 1985 - How the passage of the Twentieth Amendment to the Constitution fathered the January Barometer - Why there is a significant market bias at certain times of the day, week, month and year - Market behavior three days before and after the holidays - Updates investment knowledge and informs you of new techniques and tools. - Is a monthly reminder and refresher course. - Alerts you to both seasonal opportunities and dangers. - Furnishes a historical viewpoint by providing pertinent statistics on past market performance. - Supplies forms necessary for portfolio planning, record keeping and tax preparation
On the desks of Top Money Managers since 1968, Stock Trader's Almanac 2025 is an essential resource for both retail and institutional investment professionals seeking to understand recurring patterns in the US stock market and consistently maximize profit potential.
Table of Contents
7 Introduction to the Fifty-Eighth Edition
10 2025 Outlook
12 2025 Strategy Calendar
14 January Almanac
16 January’s First Five Days: An Early Warning System
18 The Incredible January Barometer (Devised 1972): Only 12 Significant Errors in 74 Years
20 Bulls Win When Market Hits The January Trifecta
22 February Almanac
24 Down Januarys: A Remarkable Record
26 Market Charts of Post-Presidential Election Years
28 Post-Election Year Performance by Party
30 March Almanac
32 Post-Election Years: Paying the Piper
34 Market Fares Better Under Democrats; Dollar Holds Up Under Republicans
36 The December Low Indicator: A Useful Prognosticating Tool
38 How to Trade Best Months Switching Strategies
40 April Almanac
42 Dow Jones Industrials One-Year Seasonal Pattern Charts Since 1901
44 S&P 500 One-Year Seasonal Pattern Charts Since 1930
46 NASDAQ, Russell 1000 & 2000 One-Year Seasonal Pattern Charts Since 1971
48 May Almanac
50 Summer Market Volume Doldrums Drive Worst Six Months
52 Top Performing Months: Standard & Poor’s 500 and Dow Jones Industrials
54 “Best Six Months”: Still an Eye-Popping Strategy
56 MACD-Timing Triples “Best Six Months” Results
58 June Almanac
60 Top Performing NASDAQ Months
62 Get More out of NASDAQ’s “Best Eight Months” with MACD Timing
64 Triple Returns, Fewer Trades: Best 6 + 4-Year Cycle
66 July Almanac
68 First Month of Quarters Is the Most Bullish
70 2023 Daily Dow Point Changes (Dow Jones Industrial Average)
72 Don’t Sell Stocks on Monday or Friday
74 August Almanac
76 A Rally for All Seasons
78 Take Advantage of Down Friday/Down Monday Warning
80 Republican Congress & Democratic President Is Best for the Market
82 Fourth Quarter Market Magic
84 September Almanac
86 Market Gains More on Super-8 Days Each Month Than on All 13 Remaining Days Combined
88 A Correction for All Seasons
90 First-Trading-Day-of-the-Month Phenomenon
92 October Almanac
94 Sector Seasonality: Selected Percentage Plays
96 Sector Index Seasonality Strategy Calendar
100 November Almanac
102 Market Behavior Three Days Before and Three Days After Holidays
104 Traders Feast on Small Stocks Thanksgiving Through Santa Claus Rally
106 Trading the Thanksgiving Market
108 Aura of the Quad Witch - 4th Quarter Most Bullish: Down Weeks Trigger More Weakness Week After
110 December Almanac
112 Most of the So-Called January Effect Takes Place in the Last Half of December
114 January Effect Now Starts in Mid-December
116 Wall Street’s Only “Free Lunch” Served Before Christmas
118 If Santa Claus Should Fail to Call, Bears May Come to Broad and Wall
120 2026 Strategy Calendar
123 Dow Jones Industrials Market Probability Calendar 2025
124 Recent Dow Jones Industrials Market Probability Calendar 2025
125 S&P 500 Market Probability Calendar 2025
126 Recent S&P 500 Market Probability Calendar 2025
127 NASDAQ Composite Market Probability Calendar 2025
128 Recent NASDAQ Composite Market Probability Calendar 2025
129 Russell 1000 Index Market Probability Calendar 2025
130 Russell 2000 Index Market Probability Calendar 2025
131 Decennial Cycle: A Market Phenomenon
132 Presidential Election/Stock Market Cycle: The 191-Year Saga Continues
133 Dow Jones Industrials Bull and Bear Markets Since 1900
134 Standard & Poor’s 500 Bull and Bear Markets Since 1929/ NASDAQ Composite Since 1971
135 Dow Jones Industrials 10-Year Daily Point Changes: January and February
136 Dow Jones Industrials 10-Year Daily Point Changes: March and April
137 Dow Jones Industrials 10-Year Daily Point Changes: May and June
138 Dow Jones Industrials 10-Year Daily Point Changes: July and August
139 Dow Jones Industrials 10-Year Daily Point Changes: September and October
140 Dow Jones Industrials 10-Year Daily Point Changes: November and December
141 A Typical Day in the Market
142 Through the Week on a Half-Hourly Basis
143 Tuesday & Friday Most Profitable Days of Week
144 NASDAQ Strongest Last 3 Days of Week
145 S&P Daily Performance Each Year Since 1952
146 NASDAQ Daily Performance Each Year Since 1971
147 Monthly Cash Inflows into S&P Stocks
148 Monthly Cash Inflows into NASDAQ Stocks
149 November, December, and January: Year’s Best Three-Month Span
150 November Through June: NASDAQ’s Eight-Month Run
151 Dow Jones Industrials Annual Highs, Lows, & Closes Since 1901
153 S&P 500 Annual Highs, Lows, & Closes Since 1930
154 NASDAQ Annual Highs, Lows, & Closes Since 1971
155 Russell 1000 and 2000 Annual Highs, Lows, & Closes Since 1979
156 Dow Jones Industrials Monthly Percent Changes Since 1950
158 Dow Jones Industrials Monthly Point Changes Since 1950
160 Dow Jones Industrials Monthly Closing Prices Since 1950
162 Standard & Poor’s 500 Monthly Percent Changes Since 1950
164 Standard & Poor’s 500 Monthly Closing Prices Since 1950
166 NASDAQ Composite Monthly Percent Changes Since 1971
168 NASDAQ Composite Monthly Closing Prices Since 1971
170 Russell 1000 Index Monthly Percent Changes Since 1979
171 Russell 1000 Index Monthly Closing Prices Since 1979
172 Russell 2000 Index Monthly Percent Changes Since 1979
173 Russell 2000 Index Monthly Closing Prices Since 1979
174 10 Best Days by Percent and Point
175 10 Worst Days by Percent and Point
176 10 Best Weeks by Percent and Point
177 10 Worst Weeks by Percent and Point
178 10 Best Months by Percent and Point
179 10 Worst Months by Percent and Point
180 10 Best Quarters by Percent and Point
181 10 Worst Quarters by Percent and Point
182 10 Best Years by Percent and Point
183 10 Worst Years by Percent and Point Strategy Planning and Record Section
185 Portfolio at Start of 2025
186 Additional Purchases
188 Short-Term Transactions
190 Long-Term Transactions
192 Interest/Dividends Received During 2025/Brokerage Account Data 2025
193 Weekly Portfolio Price Record 2025
195 Weekly Indicator Data 2025
197 Monthly Indicator Data 2025
198 Portfolio at End of 2025
199 If You Don’t Profit from Your Investment Mistakes, Someone Else Will/Performance Record of Recommendations
200 Individual Retirement Accounts:Most Awesome Investment Incentive Ever Devised
201 G.M. Loeb’s “Battle Plan” for Investment Survival
202 G.M. Loeb’s Investment Survival Checklist
