While just a four day week, it was one of the best this year. The DJIA climbed 3.43 percent and the S&P500 gained 3.21 percent; the NASDAQ trailed these increases, moving higher by just 2.06 percent since last Friday.
At the close of todays market, the indices had moved up by more than two percent, thus recovering a good part of their losses yesterday.
Considering todays performance in light of the upcoming Easter weekend, note that since the turn of the century, the market has moved higher on the Thursday before the Friday recess more often than it declined. The best record is that of the NASDAQ, with nine increases and only two declines. The laggard DJIA nevertheless has a 7:4 ratio of higher to lower closes.
But in the past, on the Monday following the holiday, the market declined more often than it increased. The best performer being the DJIA, with just six positive to five negative closes. The other two indices registered almost twice as many decreases as increases: the ratio for the NASDAQ and the S&P500 is four positive to seven negative closes.
DJIA 2.16 percent
NASDAQ 2.18 percent
S&P500 2.38 percent