Seattle Seahawks Aim to Boost Stock Market with Super Bowl Win

The Super Bowl Indicator suggests an NFC team victory could mean a good year for stocks, but the data shows the theory is unreliable.

Feb. 2, 2026 at 10:47am

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The Super Bowl Indicator, a Wall Street folklore theory that claims an NFC team's Super Bowl win predicts a rising stock market that year, proved correct in 2025 when the Philadelphia Eagles won. However, the indicator has been right less than half the time since 2000. This year, the Seattle Seahawks, representing the NFC, are facing the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX. If the Indicator holds true, a Seahawks victory could mean good news for investors' stock portfolios.

Why it matters

The Super Bowl Indicator is a popular but dubious market prediction tool that has captured the imagination of traders and investors. While the theory seemed to hold true for decades, its accuracy has declined significantly in recent years, raising questions about whether it's a reliable way to guide investment decisions.

The details

The Super Bowl Indicator was first proposed by sports writer Leonard Koppett in 1978, who noted a pattern of the stock market performing better when the NFC team won the Super Bowl. Through the late 1990s, the indicator had a success rate above 90%. However, its accuracy has dropped to just 40% over the past 20 years, with notable failures like the market crash of 2008 following an NFC win.

  • Super Bowl LX will be played on February 8, 2026.
  • The S&P 500 gained almost 18% in 2025 after the Philadelphia Eagles, an NFC team, won Super Bowl LIX.

The players

Seattle Seahawks

The NFC team competing in Super Bowl LX.

New England Patriots

The AFC team competing in Super Bowl LX.

Leonard Koppett

The sports writer who first proposed the Super Bowl Indicator in 1978.

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What they’re saying

“I meant the whole thing as a satire on the fallibility of human statistical reasoning. It's too stupid to believe.”

— Leonard Koppett, Sports writer

What’s next

The outcome of Super Bowl LX on February 8, 2026 will determine whether the Super Bowl Indicator holds true for the 2026 stock market performance.

The takeaway

While the Super Bowl Indicator has captured the imagination of investors, the data shows it is an unreliable predictor of stock market performance. Investors would be better off focusing on fundamental economic factors rather than trying to time the market based on the outcome of a football game.