Monday, June 2, 2014

Summer Bummer

Yesterday was the first day of June, and also marked the beginning of the historically worst time of the year for stock prices. Since 1985, the Standard & Poor's 500 index has averaged a positive performance in each of the first five months of the year - until we get to June, when it has averaged a drop of 0.1 percent.

And it doesn't get much better from there. Over the four months of summer - June, July, August and September - only July has seen an average increase in the S&P since 1985. In August it has dropped 0.6 percent, and September it has dropped 0.7 percent.

Those three months are the only calendar months in which the S&P has fallen on average. That's one reason you'll sometimes hear the adage: "Sell in May, and then go away."

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