Super Bowl bulls
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Although it’s little consolation to millions of deflated New York Jets fans, Wall Street has good reason to embrace the Super Bowl showdown between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers.
Super Sunday appearances by both teams have historically translated into a touchdown for investors. According to research by Capital IQ, when the Steelers are in the game, the S&P 500 index soars an average of 25.2 percent for the calendar year, while when the Packers are in, the index surges an average of 24.2 percent.
Pittsburgh’s “Steel Curtain” has made it to the NFL’s big dance seven times and won six, while “The Pack” boasts a record of 3-1.
In their winning years, the Steelers numbers rise slightly to 26 percent, while the Packers are down a single percentage point at 23 percent.
What’s more, the index posted its second-highest post Super Bowl gain — 37.1 percent — in 1975, when the Steelers’ scored their first victory against the Minnesota Vikings, according to Capital IQ.
Las Vegas odds makers peg the Packers as 2.5 point favorites against the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV at Arlington, Texas, on Feb. 6.
A Green Bay loss could offer an even bigger stock pop. Capital IQ analyst Rich Peterson said the S&P jumped 29 percent in 1998, when Green Bay suffered its lone loss, a 31-24 defeat against the Denver Broncos.
An anemic first half on Sunday killed the Jets’ chances of making their first Super Bowl appearance since 1969. But that victory, led by quarterback Joe Namath, resulted in an 8.4 percent fall in the S&P.
“I guess if you’re a bull or a bear, you can find something to hang your hat on,” Peterson said.
While Capital IQ’s research isn’t meant to be taken too seriously, the study comes amid concern about the strength of the market’s bull run.
Both the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones industrial average are up about 18 percent in the past year. The Dow rose nearly 1 percent yesterday to 11,980.52, while the S&P 500 closed up more than half a percent at 1,290.84.
