Heed Pudd’nhead Wilson’s Stock-Market Advice in September
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You’re likely to hear from someone today that September is historically the worst month for stocks. You’re also likely to hear that this year could be different. Shortly before Oct. 1 you’ll know who was right.
At first blush, it sounds pretty scary. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index has lost 1.02 percent on average in Septembers since 1928, according to Howard Silverblatt, senior index analyst at S&P Dow Jones Indices. It has fallen more than 52 percent of the time, second only to July in its tendency to decline. The two months are the only ones where stocks fall more often than rise, according to Silverblatt’s data.