Lame Duck Session in U.S. Congress May Be Good for Stocks

(Bloomberg) -- Say what you will about the the so-called lame-duck Congress that kicked off Tuesday, but if history is any guide, it may be a good thing for U.S. stocks. The S&P 500 Index has posted gains for the last two months of the year in six of the nine lame-duck sessions going back to 2000. The period, when lawmakers meet after an election but before their current term ends, only became a fixture this century, according to the Congressional Research Service. The equity benchmark is up 0.7 percent this month.

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