Equities win in Super Bowl

Whichever team walks away victorious from the Super Bowl, investors are likely to be the winners. An analysis of 44 years of Super Bowl history by Capital IQ, a unit of Standard & Poor's, found that when the Pittsburgh Steelers make it to the big game, the average S&P 500 return for the year is 25%; when the Green Bay Packers play, the index rises an average of 24%. “Combined, the Steelers and the Packers have won nine Super Bowls, and each year, the S&P 500 had a gain and never a loss,” said Richard Peterson, director of markets, credit and risk strategies at Standard & Poor's. “I think regardless of who wins, it's a positive year for equities.” Historically, the markets perform a little better following a Steelers victory. The average return following a win by Pittsburgh is 26%, compared with an average 23% gain following a Green Bay victory, according to the data. But losses haven't been bad for the market, either. When the Steelers lost Super Bowl XXX, the market returned 23%. Gains were even stronger — 29% — when the Packers lost the big game, according to Capital IQ. Years when returning Super Bowl champions have won the contest (both Green Bay and Pittsburgh are going into Super Bowl XLV with previous wins) also are good for the market, producing average gains of 13%, according to the data. Still, S&P advises caution. “Earnings and investor sentiment are important factors [in stock market performance], and this is probably just a coincidental indicator,” Mr. Peterson said.