Washington Meets Wall Street: A Closer Examination of the Presidential Cylce Puzzle

Roman Kräussl, Andre Lucas, David R. Rijsbergen, Pieter van der Sluis and Evert B. Vrugt
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Evert B. Vrugt: LSF

LSF Research Working Paper Series from Luxembourg School of Finance, University of Luxembourg

Abstract: We show that the annual excess return of the S&P 500 is almost 10 percent higher during the last two years of the presidential cycle than during the first two years. This pattern cannot be explained by business-cycle variables capturing timevarying risk premia, differences in risk levels, or by consumer and investor sentiment. We formally test the presidential election cycle (PEC) hypothesis as the alternative explanation found in the literature for explaining the presidential cycle anomaly. The PEC states that incumbent parties and presidents have an incentive to manipulate the economy (via budget expansions and taxes) to remain in power. We formulate eight empirically-testable propositions relating to the fiscal, monetary, tax, unexpected inflation and political implications of the PEC hypothesis. We do not find statistically significant evidence confirming the PEC hypothesis as a plausible explanation for the presidential cycle effect. The presidential cycle effect in U.S. financial markets thus remains a puzzle that cannot be easily explained by politicians employing their economic influence to remain in power, as is often believed.

Keywords: political economy; market efficiency; anomalies; calendar effects (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E32 G14 P16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-mac and nep-pol
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Related works:
Journal Article: Washington meets Wall Street: A closer examination of the presidential cycle puzzle (2014)
Working Paper: Washington meets Wall Street: A closer examination of the presidential cycle puzzle (2010)
Working Paper: Washington meets Wall Street: A Closer Examination of the Presidential Cycle Puzzle (2008)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:crf:wpaper:13-4

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