Aug 2, 2017

Trump stock market performance eclipsed by Obama and Bush

Dan Primack, author of Pro Rata

President Trump regularly boasts about the stock market's strong performance since his inauguration, including how the Dow Jones Industrial Average is at a record high. What Trump hasn't noted, however, is that Barack Obama and George H.W. Bush oversaw greater stock market expansion during their first six months in office, as judged by percentage growth of the S&P 500.

Context: Obama took office in the midst of an economic recession, so much of his S&P 500 increase was a rebound from the depths. Trump, on the other hand, inherited an already-growing market that has accelerated since his inauguration.

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Data: S&P Global Market Intelligence, Yahoo Finance; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon / Axios

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