Even if October brings a ghostly hoot, bears may still get the boot
Main U.S. indexes slightly green; Nasdaq out front, up ~0.3%
Tech leads S&P sector gainers; Staples weakest group
Euro STOXX 600 index ~flat
Dollar, crude gain; bitcoin up >2%; gold declines
U.S. 10-Year Treasury yield rises to ~3.78%
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EVEN IF OCTOBER BRINGS A GHOSTLY HOOT, BEARS MAY STILL GET THE BOOT
Through the end of September, the S&P 500 index .SPX was up nearly 21% YTD, which was its best start to year since 1997.
However, investors may be on edge given that October can be a spooky month with high market volatility and large drawdowns. Indeed, 1929, 1987, and 2008 all saw spectacular meltdowns in this month.
Ryan Detrick, chief market strategist at the Carson Group, says it's worth noting that overall October is really about an average month, up 0.9% on average, making it the 7th best month of the year.
Looking at just the past 10 years, Detrick says the market has gained a very respectable 1.8%, making it the third best month of the year.
"It was down last year, but hasn't declined two years in a row for 15 years. October is the worst month during an election year and after the incredible run stocks have seen so far this year, we wouldn't be surprised at all if we saw some usual October volatility in 2024," writes Detrick in a note out earlier this week.
In the event there is some usual October volatility, Detrick adds that the good news is November and December historically do quite well in election years, as the uncertainty of the election clears.
According to Detrick, the fourth quarter overall is higher nearly 80% of the time and up 4.3% on average, making it far and away the best quarter of the year.
His bottom line is that "Investors have been rewarded by sticking with a glass half full mentality amid the incessant negativity. Could we see a negative October surprise? Absolutely, but we would use that as an opportunity to benefit from potentially higher prices before 2024 is done."
(Terence Gabriel)
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FOR WEDNESDAY'S EARLIER LIVE MARKETS POSTS:
SOLID ADP DATA HINTS AT STRONG JOBS MARKET: WAS 50 TOO MUCH, JAY? - CLICK HERE
EM SOVEREIGN BOND ISSUANCE RISES IN SEPTEMBER, THOUGH LIKELY NOT A POST-FED BOUNCE - CLICK HERE
S&P 500 INDEX: SO FAR JUST A SMALL SETBACK - CLICK HERE
TIME TO GO IDIOSYNCRATIC ON LUXURY - BofA - CLICK HERE
UTILITIES: AFTER THE "BIG COMEBACK", NOW WHAT? - CLICK HERE
SURPRISE, SURPRISE: U.S. EXCEPTIONALISM MIGHT BE BACK - CLICK HERE
US ELECTION: IMPLICATIONS FOR EUROPE - CLICK HERE
OIL NAMES LEAD GAINS IN EUROPE - CLICK HERE
EUROPEAN FUTURES POINT TO TEPID START - CLICK HERE
WORRIES OVER MIDDLE EAST ESCALATION WEIGH - CLICK HERE
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