Does stock market performance improve when Congress is adjourned?
MSN highlights UC research in market analysis
The House is unexpectedly on summer break until September, and it may have been what sent the markets briefly higher last week. According to MSN, the two may actually be correlated.
In a recent article, MSN highlighted research led by Michael Ferguson, head of the department of finance at the University of Cincinnati’s Carl H. Lindner College of Business.
The study, “Congress and the Stock Market,” examines stock market performance when Congress is in session versus when it is adjourned. MSN summarized that the Dow Jones Industrial Average from 1897 through 2004 produced the equivalent of a 13.8% annualized return when Congress was not in session, versus 2% when Congress was in session. MSN also noted that Ferguson’s team found a similar result for the lifespan of the S&P 500, the other major market average.
Featured image at top of the Capitol and House of Representatives. Photo/Adobe Stock.
Related Stories
UC experts present neurology research at national conference
April 17, 2026
University of Cincinnati researchers will present abstracts at the 2026 American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting April 18 to 22 in Chicago.
Health care industry is hiring despite a job market that has cooled
April 16, 2026
The US labor market has cooled but the demand for health care workers, expecially skilled nurses, remains strong. Interviews with UC College of Nursing admininstrators Dr. Donna Green and Dr. Lindsay Davis were part of a WCPO segment on health care industry hiring.
AI advances in the liver disease field
April 15, 2026
MASH represents the advanced inflammatory form of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD, formerly known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease), where fat accumulation in the liver triggers fibrosis and progressive liver injury. According to a recent MedCentral article, more AI-based clinical assessment tools in MASH are needed.