Will the election matter to the market?

With the midterm elections less than two weeks away, investors are debating the impact of potential changes to the make-up of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The direction of the economy, taxes, government spending, the war in Iraq, all have the potential to see major changes in 2007 and beyond. But for the stock market, does it really matter what happens on November 7th?

It seems not. According to the folks at FTN Midwest Securities, the stock market has risen an average of 19% in the year following midterm elections. And since 1959, every post midterm year has been positive, even with changes in control of the Congress.

So have fun debating politics - and (it seems) don't worry about your portfolio.

One caveat: Past performance is never a guarantee of future results.