In the prior edition was an extensive review of the effect of the pre-presidential election year. It would have been a great tip off to the rally that began in March of 2003. There hasn't been a losing year in the Dow 30 since FDR. If you had reviewed this page you would not have been caught flatfooted. (see page 42 & 30). In this year you can review the historical track record of election year markets (pg 34).
In fairness, the Lester indicator (on page 40) was misleading in 2003 as the Dec 2002 low was violates and then the S & P roared to new highs in March. It was tradeable in that with proper risk control you could have made a 4%+gain, below the average listed as 10.7%.
Sometimes there is additional work you can do to make the #s more understandable. I went to page 18 to calculate the net Feb-Dec return of the respective January Effect listings (after all, aren't you most interested in how it performs after you get the signal?). For the record, it was not a good signal this year.
There is a review of Larry William's "The Right Stock at the Right Time". The review mentions many market anomalies like are found in the Almanac. I will make a point to read this book. I read the book reviewed in the 1993 edition and it was exactly as represented, so I have great confidence that this review is spot on as well. There are several other investment books as well on page 98
If you want to play the various oddities to beat the market, this book makes it simple. Since it has a week by week calendar, it could be your organizer. Imagine that, an organizer that makes you money.
This calendar/organizer/planner is in its 37th edition and the authors have done a masterful job or presenting the information in a useful and easy-to-understand manner. They've provided investors with a complete historical perspective on daily, weekly, monthly, and annual stock market patterns and strategies.
There is particularly useful data on how to take advantage of the presidential four-year cycles, the best six months strategy for the DJIA and S&P500, the best eight-month strategy for the NASDAQ Composite, and the strongest and weakest months of the year.
Traders as well as short-term and long-term investors will all benefit from the insights provided in this "gem" of an investment almanac. Traders, in particular, can benefit from the many daily and holiday market patterns occur with a high frequency. Every person who invests in the stock market, without taking into account the vital information in this almanac, should not complain about his or her poor performance.
Also included in this almanac are monthly percentage and point moves in the S&P 500 and DJIA from 1950 through June 2003, and the entire NASDAQ Composite data from 1971 to June 2003. Tables listing the 10 and 20 best and worst days and weeks and the 20 best and worst months in percentage and point terms since 1901 are also provided.
In summary, the Stock Trader's Almanac is a masterpiece of stock market history that keeps getting better every year. It is an indispensable guide to successful investing. I highly recommend it to all investors and traders.