answer:To answer my own question, I do, or at very least I think it’s a good indicator of public perception as to how well a President performed, even though the majority of people probably don’t pay a ton of attention to the Dow. I crunched some numbers on a hunch and here’s what I came up with. Of the past 4 Presidents prior to W: Jimmy Carter – Dow up 0.24% during his Presidency. Left office with a 33% approval rating Ronald Reagan – Dow up 230.6% during his Presidency. Left office with a 62% approval rating. George H.W. Bush – Dow up 145.41% during his Presidency. Left office with a 55% approval rating. Bill Clinton – Dow up 325.17% during his Presidency. Left office with a 65% approval rating. The numbers are directly correllated. From most popular to least popular on leaving office, the Presidents rank: 1. Clinton 2. Reagan 3. Bush 4. Carter From greatest growth in the Dow to least, the Presidents rank: 1. Clinton 2. Reagan 3. Bush 4. Carter Do you think there actually is a correlation between how good a President is for the economy and how well the Dow does while he’s in office? Do you think people perceive a correlation between how good a President is for the economy and how well the Dow does while he’s in office. What does this mean for W, who took office when the Dow was at 10,587.59, and 10 minutes to closing today it’s at 8,579.19 (and falling). So as of this minute the Dow is actually -18.97% during his Presidency. Seems to hold for a fifth consecutive President considering that his approval on 9/22 was 19%. I wonder where this will end up on 1/19/09? Any predictions for where the Dow will close on 1/19/09 and where that will put W’s end of term approval rating? And will that be an indicator of how he did for the economy? Discuss…