S&P 500 in 1957

The S&P 500 fell 14.3% in 1957, from 46.67 at the end of 1956 to 39.99. Its highest close was 49.13 on Jul 15, and its lowest 38.98 on Oct 22. The biggest one-day fall was −2.9% on Oct 21 and the biggest rise +4.5% on Oct 23. Adjusted for inflation, it lost 16.7%.

Change in 1957

−14.3%

46.67 → 39.99

High

49.13

Jul 15

Low

38.98

Oct 22

After inflation

−16.7%

US CPI

Up days

118 of 252

longest run 8 up, 9 down

Below record

-19.4%

at the end of 1957

S&P 500, daily closes 1957

Numbers mark the events below

Key Events in 1957

What happened, and how the S&P 500 moved — on the day (or the next trading day) and about a month later.

1
Monday, March 4

Standard & Poor's launches the S&P 500 index in its 500-company form. Source

S&P 500: +0.7% that day · +0.9% a month later
2
Monday, March 25

Treaty of Rome establishing the European Economic Community is signed. Source

S&P 500: −0.4% that day · +3.6% a month later
3
Friday, October 4

Soviet Union launches Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite. Source

S&P 500: −0.8% that day · −6.3% a month later
4
Monday, October 21 From the data

Enters a bear market: 20% below its peak of 49.64 (August 2, 1956). Biggest one-day fall of the year: −2.9%.
5
Tuesday, October 22 From the data

Bear market low: 38.98, 21.5% below the peak.
6
Wednesday, October 23 From the data

Biggest one-day rise of the year: +4.5%.

Biggest days of 1957

Best days		Worst days
Oct 23	+4.5%	Oct 21	−2.9%
Nov 27	+2.9%	Nov 26	−2.6%
Nov 15	+2.4%	Oct 10	−2.5%
Aug 30	+1.7%	Sep 23	−2.3%
Aug 27	+1.6%	Aug 19	−2.0%

Volatility: 13.0% (annualised standard deviation of daily changes).

Month by month

Month	Close	Change	High	Low
Jan	44.72	−4.2%	46.66	44.40
Feb	43.26	−3.3%	44.62	42.39
Mar	44.11	+2.0%	44.23	43.74
Apr	45.74	+3.7%	45.74	44.14
May	47.43	+3.7%	47.43	46.02
Jun	47.37	−0.1%	48.24	46.78
Jul	47.91	+1.1%	49.13	47.43
Aug	45.22	−5.6%	47.79	43.89
Sep	42.42	−6.2%	45.44	42.42
Oct	41.06	−3.2%	43.14	38.98
Nov	41.72	+1.6%	41.72	39.44
Dec	39.99	−4.1%	41.54	39.38

Other Markets in 1957

Change over the calendar year.

Market	Change	Year-end
S&P 500	−14.3%	39.99
Dow Jones Industrial Average in 1957	−12.8%	435.69

1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959

S&P 500 in 1957: FAQ

How much did the S&P 500 fall in 1957?

What were the highest and lowest closes of the S&P 500 in 1957?

Highest: 49.13 on July 15, 1957. Lowest: 38.98 on October 22, 1957. It closed higher on 118 of 252 trading days.

What happened to the S&P 500 on October 4, 1957?

Soviet Union launches Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite. The S&P 500 fell 0.8% that day, and was −6.3% a month later.

Data: Daily closes since 1950 (price index, excluding dividends). Price index: dividends are not included. Inflation: US CPI-U. Events marked "From the data" are found automatically from the closing prices; the others are researched, with the source linked. Not investment advice.

Cite this page

For essays, articles and research. Prices on this page update daily, so the citations include today's date as the date you accessed it.

APA 7

Corgano. (2026, October 31). S&P 500 in 1957. Corgano Gold Price. Retrieved October 31, 2026, from https://goldprice.corgano.com/market-history/sp-500/1957

MLA 9

“S&P 500 in 1957.” Corgano Gold Price, goldprice.corgano.com/market-history/sp-500/1957. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Corgano. “S&P 500 in 1957.” Corgano Gold Price. Accessed October 31, 2026. https://goldprice.corgano.com/market-history/sp-500/1957.

BibTeX

@misc{corgano2026sp500in1957, author = {{Corgano}}, title = {S&P 500 in 1957}, howpublished = {\url{https://goldprice.corgano.com/market-history/sp-500/1957}}, year = {2026}, note = {Corgano Gold Price, accessed 2026-10-31}}

Link

S&P 500 in 1957 — Corgano Gold Price: https://goldprice.corgano.com/market-history/sp-500/1957