2019's $5.9T Stock Boom Was More Than Double the Spike Presidents Normally Get in a First Term

Wall Street is hoping for another strong year after stocks in 2019 had its best return in six years.

The technology-heavy NASDAQ index led the way with a 35 percent gain while the S&P 500 was up 29 percent and the Dow Jones Industrials gained 22 percent.

US stocks added $5.9 trillion in value last year while overall, world stock markets gained $17 trillion.

The market's gains could be good news for President Trump as well as stocks were up more than twice as much as they normally are during a president's first three years.

Global shares rose Thursday on optimism about a US-China trade deal. Trump says the US and China will sign the deal in two weeks.

The New York Times reports the president says the two countries will sign a "very large and comprehensive" trade agreement at the White House on Jan. 15.

The newspaper goes on to say that the signing would make official trade peace between the world's two biggest economies.

Washington and Beijing announced last month that they reached an agreement over a "Phase 1" trade deal that calls for the US to reduce tariffs and China to buy larger quantities of US farm products.

The president tweeted: "At a later date I will be going to Beijing where talks will begin on phase two!"