Key Takeaways Stock traders didn't get much from Santa this season. Does that mean this year's returns will be lighter than in years past? The Santa Claus rally—the tendency for stocks to rise during the trading period containing the final five trading days of December and the first two of the new year—yesterday looked as though it would materialize in the 11th hour but ultimately disappointed. Over this season's stretch, between Christmas Eve through Monday's close, the S&P 500 was down 0.11%. While this m ...