December has been widely viewed as a strong month for stocks, with this year following suit so far. What many probably don’t realize, however, is the majority of the gains have taken place late in the month.

“December has been a good month so far, but can it continue? Turns out, the majority of December’s gains have tended to happen in the second half of the month—so we still have time to believe in Santa,” explained LPL Senior Market Strategist Ryan Detrick.

As Ryan Detrick and Jeff Buchbinder discussed on the most recent episode of the LPL Market Signals podcast, with new clarity on U.S.-China trade and the recent United Kingdom elections, there may be a good chance stocks could deliver another stellar performance during this festive time of the year.

As our LPL Chart of the Day shows, December historically has been a strong month that has tended to deliver the majority of its gains late in the month.

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Is it Time for Santa Claus?