Wall St braced for post-poll turbulence

Regardless of the results of tomorrow’s US presidential election, the next four years will be a tough act to follow from Wall St’s vantage point.

The benchmark Standard & Poor’s 500 Index has rallied 66% since President Barack Obama took office — one of the most impressive runs ever for stocks under a single president. Admittedly, the timing of his inauguration just before the market hit a nadir in Mar 2009 is part of the reason. The national polls lean toward a win by the president.

“The market might like the fact of an Obama win since it would mean less uncertainty,” said Ryan Detrick, senior technical strategist at Schaeffer’s Investment Research, in Cincinnati.