Schaeffer's Top Stock Picks for '25

25 Stocks to Buy After Easter

Pre-Easter strength usually suggests more outperformance from stocks is coming

Senior Quantitative Analyst
Apr 17, 2019 at 7:00 AM
facebook X logo linkedin


Markets are closed at the end of this week for Good Friday, as many get ready to celebrate Easter over the weekend. So, it’s a good time to see how stocks have tended to perform around the holiday. Also, I found an interesting stat on what Easter means for the rest of the year, and finally, I’ll list the best and worst stocks in the week following Easter.

Stocks Performance in Days Surrounding Easter

The table below looks at how the S&P 500 Index (SPX) has performed in the days around Easter over the past 30 years. The day before Easter is a good day for stocks, but it is sandwiched between two underperforming days. Two days before the holiday (today) the index averages a loss of 0.21% and positive just 40% of the time. The day before Easter has been bullish over the past 30 years, averaging a gain of 0.42% and positive 63% of the time. Compare that to a typical day for the index of a gain of 0.04% and positive 54% of the time.

The day after Easter has tended to give back some of those pre-Easter gains. Over the past 30 years, the Monday after Easter has averaged a loss of 0.14% and positive only 47% of the time. Historically, it has been wise to avoid stock exposure over the weekend if you can.

spx easter returns 1

Rest of the Year for Stocks After Easter

I thought the data below was interesting. It suggests that the pre-Easter return in a year is a precursor for what to expect the rest of the year. In the past 30 years, there have been five times when the S&P 500 was positive by double-digits through Easter. The index was positive for the rest of the year every time, averaging a gain of 12.5%. When the S&P 500 has been positive by less than 10%, then stocks were still positive an impressive 86% of the time the rest of the year, averaging a return of 10.5%. When the index has been negative through Easter, the rest of the year averages further losses of 1.9%, with less than half of the returns positive. With the S&P 500 positive year-to-date by well over 10%, hopefully this tendency continues.

spx rest of year after easter

Best Stocks for After Easter

Why would certain stocks tend to outperform or underperform in the week after Easter? I really can’t think of a reason that makes sense other than randomness, but I ran the numbers anyway. Looking at S&P 500 stocks over the past 10 years, the first table below shows the stocks that have done the best in the week after Easter. The second table shows stocks that have performed the worst after Easter.

 

best easter stocks

worst stocks after easter

 
 

Which of These SUB-$5 Stocks Could 26x From Here? (AD)

He called a rare 11x on Tesla…

Then he called a 26x on Workhorse…

Then an even rarer 35x on Nio Inc…

Now Tim Bohen says these 5 tiny “America First” stocks are next up in 2025.

They’re trading for less than $5 right now.

But thanks to Elon & Trump’s new alliance…

They could be off to the races in Trump’s first 100 days.

And right now for a limited time…

You can get the names & tickers for just $1 here. (AD)

10 Stock Picks FREE
 
 

Featured Articles from Trusted Partners:

🚀 One Stock Pick Could Change Everything in 2025
What if one stock pick could define your success next year? Get 10 expert-vetted stocks set for 2025—plus 5 bonus picks to watch now. Get the Report →

🆕 New Options Need New Trading Strategies
Zero-DTE options are the newest (and hottest) options to trade.  Professional traders have rushed into the market and are making a mint.  Don’t get left behind - learn all about these options, how to trade them, market setups to profit from, plus much more. Download now →

👀 Revealed: 3 Defensive Stocks for Your Portfolio
Worried about the market? This free report reveals 3 under-the-radar defensive stocks for uncertain times in any kind of economy.

 

 
 

FREE Report Download

 

Follow us on X, Follow us on Twitter