Money News with Sean Craig: Super Bowl superstitions

Football fan Mary Steinkraus from Wisconsin walks around the Super Bowl XLVI NFL Experience presented by GMC at the Indiana Convention Center on Feb. 3, 2012. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)

The Super Bowl is just a game. However, the winner of that game seems to have an influence on the markets, if you believe the numbers.

Sean Craig with First Midwest Securities in Bloomington says investors call it the “Super Bowl Indicator.”  Basically if a team that was part of the original NFL lineup (pre-1970) wins the big game, Wall Street has a good year.  It’s true about 78 percent of the time. CNBC reports, “Historically, the indicator has been correct 35 of the last 45 years … on the S&P 500, on a total return basis, according to Silverblatt, Senior Index Analyst, Standard & Poor’s.”

That would mean a Giants win would be good for your 401-K.   However, the last time the Giants won, the markets took a huge hit in 2008.  So, take it with a grain of salt.

It IS just a game, after all.

Click below to listen to Sean’s Friday report on Wall Street and the crazy superstitions surrounding the Super Bowl:

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The Dow Jones industrial average gained 157 points to close at 12,862 on Friday. That was the highest closing point since before the 2008 financial crisis. The S&P surged 19 points to 1,345, while the Nasdaq rose 46 points to 2,906.

Beth Whisman can be reached at whisman@wjbc.com.