Trump talks stocks to get the votes in

US President Donald Trump has warned that his favourite measure of success, the stock market, is imperiled if voters favour Democrats in this week’s congressional elections.

While not fully accurate — stocks tend to rise regardless of who controls the government — it does bear out that the market has delivered a slightly stronger performance on average when Republicans dominate in Washington. A Reuters analysis of the past half century shows stocks fared better in the two calendar years after congressional elections, when Republicans control Congress and the presidency than when Democrats controlled the two branches, and at least as well as during times of gridlock. Many investors are now hoping for a continuation of the Republican agenda.

“There is Trump ‘the person’, who is very controversial,” said Stephen Massocca, senior vice president at Wedbush Securities. “And there’s also Trump ‘the agenda’. The Trump agenda, the stock market loves. To the extent it continues, the market will like that.” Republicans traditionally push pro-business policies such as tax cuts and deregulation, which boost stock prices.