• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

3

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

3

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

The Dow Had Its Worst Week in 10 Years. Here’s How the Grinch Stole the ‘Santa Claus Rally’

By
Kevin Kelleher
Kevin Kelleher
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Kevin Kelleher
Kevin Kelleher
Down Arrow Button Icon
December 21, 2018, 6:19 PM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

The Grinch, it seems, has not only stolen the Santa Claus rally, but left investors a lump of smoking coal.

For much of the past three months, investors weathered week after week of volatile selloffs awaiting the year-end buying spree known as a “Santa rally.” Days before Christmas, however, stocks fell to new lows. The Dow Jones Industrial Average just ended its worst week since 2008, falling 7%.

According to Bespoke Investment, the S&P is on track to have its worst December since 1931, when it dropped 14.5%. The S&P 500 is down 11.4% so far this month. The Nasdaq 100 fell into bear-market territory Friday, down more than 20% from its August high. Six tech giants—Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, Alphabet, and Microsoft—have lost a collective $1.2 trillion in market cap, the Wall Street Journal said.

The S&P is down 11.4% this month, which is the worst December since 1931 when the index fell 14.53%. It's also the 23rd worst month in history and only the 31st time the index has fallen 10%+ in a month (out of 1,092 months in total since 1928). https://t.co/H4p1RcpfIn

— Bespoke (@bespokeinvest) December 21, 2018

The litany of bearish factors driving down the market is by now familiar: The Federal Reserve, still concerned about inflation, is raising interest rates; a U.S.-China trade war that is hurting Chinese stocks and dragging down global economic growth; a Brexit crisis worsening by the week; a growing consensus that corporate earnings will have peaked in 2018.

Increasingly, strategists and executives are feeling emboldened to lay some of the blame at the door of the White House. FedEx CEO Fred Smith, a longtime Republican, blamed President Trump and other political leaders this week for his company’s grim outlook for 2019. On Friday, Abby Joseph Cohen, one of the most respected market strategists, also cited the Trump administration as a factor in this week’s selloff.

“We’re dealing with this major change with regard to risk tolerance, which is being fueled and exacerbated by many of the decisions in Washington,” Cohen said in an interview with Bloomberg Friday. “I’m not talking about the Fed, I’m talking about the confusion having to do with the government shutdown, the confusion in the President’s cabinet, and so on.”

It’s not so much that the economy is ailing right now—U.S. gross domestic product is expected to grow 3% in 2018, its strongest year since 2005—or that earnings won’t grow in 2019. It’s more that a looming government shutdown and turmoil in the Trump administration is leaving investors so uncertain the’ve become risk-averse.

“Looking at the economic policy, the recognition is that the big fiscal stimulus through the tax cut really was perhaps only a sugar high, and trade policy is really at this point quite erratic,” Cohen said. “I think that investors are nervous that the arithmetic assumptions in their earnings forecasts may be tossed up in the air.”

For market contrarians, there are always silver linings to be found in stormy markets. For one, stocks in the S&P 500 have an average price-earnings ratio of 19.5, down from 25.3 a year ago, according to Barron’s, suggesting that some stocks are returning to attractive values. Also, stock trading volume spiked this week to the highest level of 2018, a possible sign that buyers are beginning to re-enter a turbulent market.

And historically, stocks have rebounded after having a bad quarter. Bespoke looked at all the quarters since World War II when the S&P 500 had lost more than 10%. In 16 out of 19 instances, the benchmark stock index saw positive returns in the following quarter.

If you're thinking about getting out of equities now, here's a look at the S&P's performance after 10%+ down quarters since WW2: https://t.co/H4p1RcpfIn pic.twitter.com/TZGsWFtiLn

— Bespoke (@bespokeinvest) December 21, 2018

That may not bring much comfort to investors whose stock portfolios have fallen into the red for 2018. But should the uncertainty pass and the market stabilize, there could be a chance for bargain-hunting—and maybe to get a step ahead of market Grinches next year.

About the Author
By Kevin Kelleher
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

Mark Zandi, Moody's chief economist.
EconomyU.S. economy
‘It’s fair to ask whether it was worth it’: The Iran War has cost Americans $1,000 per household—and that’s a conservative estimate, Mark Zandi says
By Tristan BoveJuly 1, 2026
2 hours ago
Melania Trump NFT earnings surge 28x in 2025 as First Lady rakes in nearly $17 million in total earnings, filing shows
PoliticsDonald Trump
Melania Trump NFT earnings surge 28x in 2025 as First Lady rakes in nearly $17 million in total earnings, filing shows
By Mia OsmonbekovJuly 1, 2026
2 hours ago
Donald Trump sits at his desk in the Oval Office, smiling and with his hands folded in front of him.
PoliticsDonald Trump
Trump got a $78K pension from the Screen Actors Guild in 2025 because he appeared in Home Alone 2 in 1992
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 1, 2026
3 hours ago
How foodservice giant Sodexo is embracing AI and robotics to reshape the kitchen
NewslettersCIO Intelligence
How foodservice giant Sodexo is embracing AI and robotics to reshape the kitchen
By John KellJuly 1, 2026
3 hours ago
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei
AIAnthropic
Anthropic’s AI models are back online after a two-week government standoff—settling the company and administration into a fragile truce
By Tristan BoveJuly 1, 2026
4 hours ago
U.S. Polo Assn. CEO J. Michael Prince
SuccessThe Promotion Playbook
U.S. Polo Assn. CEO was told he wasn’t right for a promotion—so he ‘outworked’ anyone else who wanted the job for 6 months straight
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJuly 1, 2026
5 hours ago

Most Popular

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
7 days ago
As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
Big Tech
As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 1, 2026
13 hours ago
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Success
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
By Preston ForeJune 27, 2026
4 days ago
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
Success
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
By Sydney LakeJune 29, 2026
2 days ago
The Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling hands the U.S. economy a $7.7 trillion win
Newsletters
The Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling hands the U.S. economy a $7.7 trillion win
By Diane BradyJuly 1, 2026
11 hours ago
The U.S. Army is opening military bases to private billions — here's why that changes everything for the next 250 years
Commentary
The U.S. Army is opening military bases to private billions — here's why that changes everything for the next 250 years
By Marc AndersenJune 30, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.