There is a possible seasonal influence that could have a bullish impact on the market this week. Op-ex week in general is pretty bullish. March, April, October, and December it has been especially so. S&P 500 options began trading in mid-1983. The table below is one I have showed on the blog the last couple of years in March. It goes back to 1984 and shows op-ex week performance broken down by month. All statistics are updated.
While December has been more reliable, total gains have been the largest during April and then March op-ex. Oddly, March, April, and December all saw down op-ex weeks in 2011. (October was up.)