Just noticed something interesting as we head into election season. Everyone's talking about whether Democrats or Republicans are better for your portfolio, and honestly, the data is wild because both sides can technically claim they're right.

So here's what I dug into: The S&P 500 has been around since March 1957, and if you tracked its performance across every presidency since then, the numbers get really messy. The average return under Democratic presidents hits 9.8% annually, while Republican administrations averaged 6%. But flip to the median figures and suddenly Republicans look better at 10.2% versus 8.9% for Democrats. It's the kind of stock market by president chart that lets both parties claim victory at campaign rallies.

The real takeaway though? This entire debate is kind of missing the point. Presidents don't actually control the stock market. Yeah, fiscal policy matters, but Congress writes the budget, and that's just one variable among dozens. You had the dot-com crash, the Great Recession, COVID - none of those were caused by who was in the White House, but they all tanked the market anyway.

I think what gets lost in this political framing is that business fundamentals drive stock prices, not campaign promises. Revenue, earnings growth, innovation cycles - those are what actually matter. The president can influence conditions but can't control the outcome.

Looking at the actual performance data over the past 30 years tells a better story. The S&P 500 returned roughly 1,920% over that stretch when dividends were reinvested, averaging around 10.5% annually. That's a long enough period covering multiple market cycles and different administrations that it gives you a real baseline for expectations.

Here's my take: whether you're looking at a stock market by president chart or just following the headlines, the smart move is ignoring the political noise. Long-term investors have done fine regardless of which party controlled the presidency. The market tends to reward patience more than it cares about who's in office. That 10.5% average annual return over three decades? That's what matters for your actual wealth building, not the election cycle drama.