How Hot Is 2018?

Yesterday was the tenth trading day of 2018, and market returns over that period have been the best in 15 years. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 4.3 percent over that period, while the S&P 500 is up 3.9 percent and the Nasdaq Composite Index has gained 4.6 percent.

According to the WSJ Market Data Group, that represents the best 10-day start to a year for both the Dow and the S&P since 2003, when the Dow kicked off the year by rising 4.57 percent and the S&P rose 4.36 percent. For the Nasdaq, 2018 marks the best 10-day start since 2012, when it rose 4.72 percent.

Of the 10 trading days in 2018 thus far, both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq have risen in eight of them, while the Dow has gained in seven of the 10 days. The Dow topped 26,000 for the first time ever on Tuesday, though it subsequently retreated from that level and ended in negative territory for the day.