For the vast majority in the US coal industry, choosing who to vote for in Tuesday's presidential election was easy: pick pro-coal Donald Trump over anti-coal Hillary Clinton.
And while the next president's policies will likely have a long-term effect on coal prices, the last two presidential elections have had no immediate impact on the market.
In the last eight years, prompt-month over-the-counter market prices have been driven by seasonal shifts, not by who wins the White House, even with President Barack Obama taking both elections.
Normally, coal prices rise in the summer as utilities work to build up stockpiles in advance of the winter then begin to dip in the fall, during the November election, as demand drops.
In 2012, Central Appalachia barge OTC coal began November at $59.50/st and strengthened slightly to $61.60/st by month's end before ending the year at $58.05/st.
Central Appalachian rail (CSX) OTC coal started November 2012 at $66.15/st, ended the month at $64.70/st and finished the year at $61.70/st.
PRB 8,800 OTC coal started November 2012 at $9.85/st, ended the month at $9.35/st but then moved higher, finishing the year at $10.10/st.
In 2008, the election came after a huge boom in the coal industry that saw CAPP barge and CSX pricing rise to all-time highs before they began to decline months before the election.
CAPP barge started 2008 at $56.35/st then ballooned to $143.25/st on July 1 before gradually declining into the fall and through the winter as the market corrected. CAPP barge began November at $87.15/st, ended the month at $78.35/st and the year at $63.90/st.
CSX mirrored that pattern, starting the year at $51.35/st before climbing to $160.60/st on July 1. CSX began November at $93.50/st, ended the month at $75.65/st and then the year at $63.90/st.
PRB 8,800 coal started November 2008 at $10.20/st, ended the month at $10.20/st and the year at $13.45/st.
