The S&P 500 Is On Track To Complete A Pattern That Has Ended In Annual Gains 100% Of The Time

The S&P 500 is on track to finish February in the black, and if it does history suggests it should be positive for the year.

With one trading session remaining, the S&P 500 is now up 1.2 percent so far this month and was edging higher in morning trading.

In a recent research note, Sam Stovall of S&P Capital IQ reports that there have been 26 times since 1945 that the S&P 500 scored gains in both January and February.

In all 26 instances, Stovall says the "500" recorded a positive calendar year total return, averaging an advance—including dividends—of 24 percent and posting full-year results that were in the single digits just twice: 1987 and 2011.