At Goldman and Citadel Securities, the Santa Rally Has Believers

Traders who spent most of December wondering if the typical year-end “Santa Claus rally” was ever going to kick in may finally be getting what they’ve been waiting for. The S&P 500 Index advanced 0.8% on Thursday, halting a four-day losing streak that has left the benchmark gauge down for the month. If history is any guide, stocks will keep pushing higher: Since 1928, the S&P 500 has risen 75% of the time in the last two weeks of December, rising 1.3% on average, data compiled by Citadel Securities show. ...