The close of the U.S. stock market on Friday doesn’t just bring the week to a close, but also the month of December, the fourth quarter of 2017, and the whole year along with it. And it’s a testament to how strong markets have been over the past 12 months that the major stock market indexes hit notable records across nearly all those time periods.
Here are the milestones that were cemented with the ringing of the closing bell.
Weekly stats:
• The Dow Jones Industrial Average
DJIA, -0.48%
fell 0.1% for the week. This snapped a five-week streak of gains. The nearly unceasing gains over the past months have helped the Dow close at a record 71 times thus far this year, which is itself a record.
• The S&P 500
SPX, -0.52%
dipped 0.4% and also snapped a five-week string of positive weeks.
• The Nasdaq Composite Index
COMP, -0.67%
is down 0.8%.
• The Russell 2000
RUT, -0.87%
fell 0.2%, ending a two-week advance.
Monthly stats:
• The Dow rose 1.8% in December. This marks its ninth straight monthly rise, its longest such streak since 1959.
• The S&P gained 1% in the month. This is also be the S&P’s ninth positive month in a row, representing its best streak since 1983. On a total-return basis, however, the S&P rose for its 14th straight monthly gain, lengthening a record.
• The Nasdaq rose 0.4% in December, its sixth straight monthly increase. The tech-heavy index has risen in 13 of the past 14 months.
• The Russell fell 0.3% in December, halting a three-month streak of gains.
• Global stocks, as measured by the MSCI All-Country World Index, rose 0.6% in December. The index hasn’t had a down month since October 2016; for the first time ever, global stocks were positive in every month of a year.
December is historically a strong month for the major indexes. The Dow, S&P, and Russell have all “ended higher in December more than any other month,” according to the WSJ Market Data Group. The Dow has enjoyed a positive December in 71% of years going back 120 years, while the S&P has ended up 73% of the time.
The Dow topped its average December gain of 1.41%, which is the highest average for any month of the year for the Dow. The S&P ended below its own historical gain of 1.41%, which is second only to July. The Russell’s loss was a far cry from its average December return of 3.19%, which is its highest average return for any month.
Read more: ’Tis the season: December lived up to its reputation for stock gains in 2017
Quarterly stats:
• The Dow added 10.3% in the fourth quarter, its best quarterly performance since the first quarter of 2013. The blue-chip average posted its ninth straight quarterly advance, its longest streak since 1997.
• The S&P rose 6.1% in the fourth quarter, its biggest quarterly rise since the fourth quarter of 2015. The fourth quarter also marked the ninth straight positive quarter for the S&P, its longest streak since one ending in the first quarter of 2013.
• The Nasdaq is up 6.3% for the quarter, its best since the first quarter of this year. It posted its sixth straight quarterly rise, its best since a 10-quarter streak ending in the second quarter of 2015.
• The Russell gained 3.2% this quarter, its seventh straight quarterly gain, its longest since the second quarter of 2014.
Annual stats:
• The Dow is up 25.1% over 2017, its second straight annual increase, as well as its best year since 2013.
• The S&P rose 19.4% over the year. Like the Dow, it rose for a second straight year and had its best year since 2013.
• The Nasdaq gained 28.2% in 2017, its best year since 2013. 2017 was the Nasdaq’s sixth straight annual gain. According to the WSJ Market Data Group, this is the longest streak for the Nasdaq since a six-year streak lasting from 1975 to 1980.
• The Russell gained 13.3% in 2017, its second straight annual gain.