The S&P 500 popped at the open, and remained positive throughout the day with enough momentum near the close to book a 1.88% gain for the day and a 1.12% gain for the week.
Year-to-date, the index is in the red at -1.54% and 9.19% below the interim high of April 29.
From an intermediate perspective, the index is 83% above the March 2009 closing low and 20.9% below the nominal all-time high of October 2007.
Below are two charts of the index, with and without the 50- and 200-day moving averages.
For a better sense of how these declines figure into a larger historical context, here's a long-term view of secular bull and bear markets in the S&P Composite since 1871.
For a bit of international flavor, here's a chart series that includes an overlay of the S&P 500, the Dow Crash of 1929 and Great Depression, and the so-called L-shaped "recovery" of the Nikkei 225. I update these weekly.
These charts are not intended as a forecast, but rather as a way to study the current market in relation to historic market cycles.
