Best First Quarter for S&P 500

1Q12 is just two weeks from being over and so far it has been quite a quarter.  If the quarter closed today, it would be the 9th best 1st quarter since 1957.  Below is a list of the other 10 best first quarter performances for the S&P 500.  

The list also includes the performance for the the second quarter in those years and for the full year.  In 9/10 years the S&P was positive for the rest of the year after a strong first quarter.  The second quarter has seen a drop in performance from the first quarter every time though.

It should be noted that the only year that the S&P wasn't positive after the first quarter was 1987, the year of Black Monday.  Also, 1998 was the year of long term capital--the index fell back to flat in September, but made all of its ground back in the 4th quarter.

Best 1st Quarters for the S&P 500