ETFdb Logo
  • ETF Database
  • Channels
    • Themes
      • Active ETF
      • Alternatives Channel
      • Artificial Intelligence
      • China Insights
      • Climate Insights
      • Core Strategies
      • Crypto
      • Disruptive Technology
      • Energy Infrastructure
      • ETF Building Blocks
      • ETF Education
      • ETF Investing
      • ETF Strategist
      • Faith-Based Investing
      • Financial Literacy
      • Fixed Income
      • Free Cash Flow
      • Innovative ETFs
      • Invest Beyond Cash
      • Leveraged & Inverse
      • Modern Alpha
      • Portfolio Strategies
      • Tax Efficient Income
    • Asset Class
      • Equity
        • U.S. Equity
        • Int'l Developed
        • Emerging Market Equities
      • Alternatives
        • Gold/Silver/Critical Materials
        • Crypytocurrency
        • Currency
        • Volatility
      • Fixed Income
        • Investment Grade Corporates
        • US Treasuries & TIPS
        • High Yield Corporates
        • Int'l Fixed Income
    • ETF Ecosystem
    • ETFs in Canada
    • Market Outlook
    • Crypto ETF Hub
  • Tools
    • ETF Screener
    • ETF Country Exposure Tool
    • ETF Database Categories
    • Indexes
    • Scenario Analysis
    • Watchlists
    • Head-To-Head ETF Comparison Tool
    • Mutual Fund To ETF Converter
    • ETF Stock Exposure Tool
    • ETF Issuer Fund Flows
  • Research
    • ETF Education
    • Equity Investing
    • Dividend ETFs
    • Leveraged ETFs
    • Inverse ETFs
    • Index Education
    • Index Insights
    • Top ETF Sectors
    • Top ETF Issuers
    • Top ETF Industries
  • Webcasts
  • Themes
    • AI ETFs
    • Blockchain ETFs
    • See all Thematic Investing ETF themes
    • ESG Investing
    • Marijuana ETFs
  • Multimedia
    • ETF 360 Video Series
    • ETF of the Week Podcast
    • Gaining Perspective Podcast
    • ETF Prime Podcast
    • Video
  • Company
    • About VettaFi
    • Get VettaFi’ed
  • PRO
    • Pro Content
    • Pro Tools
    • Advanced
    • FAQ
    • Pricing
    • Free Sign Up
    • Login
  1. ETFs to Play the Thanksgiving Rally
News
Share

ETFs to Play the Thanksgiving Rally

Stoyan BojinovNov 25, 2015
2015-11-25

Anemic volumes and muted trading activity generally are the two things that first come to mind when investors are asked about the market’s behavior during the week of Thanksgiving. Few would guess correctly that this holiday week has an undeniably bullish bias when considering historical market returns.

Low trading volumes around the holiday shouldn’t come as much of a surprise; after all, this is a shortened trading week, with Friday being a half-day on Wall Street. What is surprising is the overwhelmingly bullish nature of this week amid an otherwise “quiet” period in the markets.

See also Black Friday Shines Spotlight on Retail ETFs.

S&P 500 Performance During Thanksgiving Week

Consider the following research from Schaeffer’s about how the broad market, as represented by the S&P 500 Index, has performed during Thanksgiving week.


Content continues below advertisement

Thanksgiving WeekAll Weeks
No. of Returns502655
Average Return0.63%0.14%
Median Return0.66%0.26%
Percent Positive66%56%
Avg. Positive1.58%1.58%
Avg. Negative-1.21%-1.67%

Key takeaways:

  • The average return during Thanksgiving week has been 0.63% vs. the average weekly return of 0.14%.
  • This holiday week has seen positive returns two-thirds of the time, with the average positive return being 1.58% vs. the average return of negative 1.21%.

It’s clear Thanksgiving week historically has favored the bulls more than the bears; and while this may be just an arbitrary fact to most investors, it’s a useful point of reference for many nimble traders looking to capitalize on short-term opportunities.

Broad Market ETFs to Play the Thanksgiving Rally

Investors looking to play the broad market during Thanksgiving may opt for one of three ETFs linked to the S&P 500 Index.

Alternatively, investors can “fine-tune” their exposures to the S&P 500 in a number of ways. For instance:

  • S&P 500 High Beta Portfolio (SPHB B+): This ETF is invested in only 100 of the S&P 500 stocks, and specifically those with highest beta; as such, SPHB can be expected to outperform the broad-based SPY whenever investors are in “risk on” moods.
  • S&P Equal Weight ETF (RSP A-): This ETF is invested in all 500 stocks from the parent index, but it affords equal weight to each security; as such, RSP can, at times, also be expected to outperform the broad market.

Other Ways to Play: Stock-Heavy ETFs

Single stocks also are prone to big moves during Thanksgiving week, according to Schaeffer’s. An investor may wish to opt for a fund that features meaningful exposure to any of the stocks listed below:

TickerCompany NameAverage ReturnMedian ReturnPercent Positive
JWNNORDSTROM6.43%2.52%90%
SCSSSELECT COMFORT6.26%1.77%90%
AAPLAPPLE4.71%4.91%90%
TIFTIFFANY2.62%3.00%90%
ASNAASCENA2.62%2.22%90%
CNCCENTENE2.12%2.15%90%
NKENIKE2.08%1.49%90%
KNDIKANDI TECHNOLOGIES4.31%3.50%88%
SKXSKECHERS5.69%3.40%80%
WSMWILLIAMS SONOMA5.69%2.60%80%
SBACSBA COMMUNICATIONS5.41%1.48%80%
HOTSTARWOOD HOTELS4.77%2.85%80%
MUMICRON TECH4.68%3.07%80%
CBGCBRE GROUP4.41%2.49%80%
CRUSCIRRUS4.25%3.62%80%
AEOAMERICAN EAGLE OUTFITTERS4.23%2.35%80%
DISHDISH NETWORK4.17%2.53%80%
EXPEEXPEDIA4.14%2.75%80%
DLTRDOLLAR TREE3.84%1.91%80%
MWMEN'S WEARHOUSE3.58%1.89%80%
LBL BRANDS3.35%2.26%80%
NWLNEWELL RUBBERMAID3.23%0.75%80%
AMZNAMAZON.COM3.21%2.70%80%
SLWSILVER WHEATON3.20%2.37%80%
ALKALASKA AIR GROUP3.18%1.19%80%
TGTTARGET3.06%0.76%80%
SWKSSKYWORKS SOLUTIONS2.97%4.03%80%
GOOGLALPHABET2.95%2.20%80%
TERTERADYNE2.83%2.95%80%

Keeping the stocks listed above in mind, some ETFs that warrant closer looks are:

  • (IYW A) is the AAPL -heaviest ETF, currently allocating around 19% of total assets to tech giant Apple.
  • (RWV B-) is the NKE -heaviest ETF, currently allocating around 7% of total assets to apparel king Nike.
  • (PBS C+) is the DISH -heaviest ETF, currently allocating around 5% of total assets to media provider Dish Network.
  • (PEJ A-) is the EXPE -heaviest ETF, currently allocating around 5% of total assets to online travel company Expedia.
  • (RTH A-) is the AMZN -heaviest ETF, currently allocating around 15% of total assets to online retail juggernaut Amazon.com.

To see all the ETFs that may have exposure to any of the stocks listed above, use the free ETFdb Stock Exposure tool – just search for the stock ticker and you’ll see which ETFs hold it, and how much.

The Bottom Line

No matter which approach you choose this Thanksgiving week, be it broad-based or stock-heavy, remember to practice disciplined profit-taking and utilize stop-loss orders, especially if you’re trading leveraged ETFs.

Follow me @SBojinov

» Popular Pages

  • Tickers
  • Articles

Jun 20

Main Management Market Note: June 20, 2025

Jun 20

Treasury Yields Snapshot: June 20, 2025

Jun 20

S&P 500 Snapshot: Index Down for Second Straight Week

Jun 20

AVEM Hits $10 Billion Milestone Amid Rising EM Demand

Jun 20

Gold Miner ETFs Keep Rallying, But Investor Demand Lags

Jun 20

International Stocks Outperforming the U.S. – Can It Last?

Jun 20

Solana ETFs: Summer of SOL

Jun 20

Feeling Unsure About Rates? Consider Active ETFs

Jun 18

WGMI a Second Quarter Top Performer

Jun 18

T. Rowe ETFs: Active Benefits at Competitive Prices

QQQ

Invesco QQQ Trust Series I

VOO

Vanguard S&P 500 ETF

IBIT

iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF

IVV

iShares Core S&P 500 ETF

GLD

SPDR Gold Shares

SCHD

Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF...

SPY

SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust

SHLD

Global X Defense Tech ETF

SMH

VanEck Semiconductor ETF

ITA

iShares U.S. Aerospace &...


Content continues below advertisement

Loading Articles...
Our Sites
  • VettaFi
  • Advisor Perspectives
  • ETF Trends
Tools
  • ETF Screener
  • Mutual Fund to ETF Converter
  • Head-To-Head ETF Comparison
  • ETF Country Exposure Tool
  • ETF Stock Exposure Tool
  • ETF Database Pro
More Tools
  • Financial Advisor & RIA Center
Explore ETFs
  • ETF News
  • ETF Category Reports
  • Premium Articles
  • Alphabetical Listing of ETFs
  • Browse ETFs by ETF Database Category
  • Browse ETFs by Index
  • Browse ETFs by Issuer
  • Compare ETFs
Information
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
  • © 2025 VettaFi LLC. All rights reserved.

Advertisement

Is Your Portfolio Positioned With Enough Global Exposure?

ETF Education Channel

How to Allocate Commodities in Portfolios

Tom LydonApr 26, 2022
2022-04-26

A long-running debate in asset allocation circles is how much of a portfolio an investor should...

Core Strategies Channel

Why ETFs Experience Limit Up/Down Protections

Karrie GordonMay 13, 2022
2022-05-13

In a digital age where information moves in milliseconds and millions of participants can transact...

}
X