How markets perform after the State of the Union speech

Of 52 such addresses since 1961, the Dow Industrials DJIA -0.26% have risen 26 times the day after and fallen 26 times, according to data compiled by the WSJ Market Data Group and Dow Jones Indexes.  (Some years have seen both the outgoing president, and the newly elected president address Congress.)

The best market performance came the day after the elder President Bush’s address in 1991. The Dow rose 50.5 points, or 1.9% the next day, to 2,713.

The second best performance was after the younger President Bush’s address in January, 2002 when the index rose 145 points, or 1.5%, to 9763.

The worst market performance after a State of the Union Address came following President Clinton’s speech in January 2000. The Dow fell 2.6% the next day to 10,739.

Click here for the top 10 and bottom 10 market reactions following major presidential speeches to Congress since 1961.