Is September Really THAT Bad for Stocks? Here's the Key

📆 Does September Deserve its Bearish Reputation?
Every year, people say the same thing: “September is a bad month for the market.” You’ve probably heard it a lot. Maybe you’ve even said it yourself.

But here’s the thing—just saying “September is bearish” doesn’t help much unless you look at what’s happening before September starts.

🧠 What the Last 10 Years Show Us
When the market was already doing badly before September (like in 2015 and 2022), September made things worse.
The best September came in 2024, which was also the best year going into the month.
Even years that were doing well sometimes dipped in September—but those drops were smaller and didn’t last long.

📉 How September Moves During the Month
Months that ended down were rarely up more than 1% before falling.
The biggest fake-out rally in a down month was 4%, but it didn’t hold.
Months that ended up were never down more than 2.6% at any point.

📈 What This Means for You
September isn’t just randomly bad—it usually follows the trend of the year so far. If the market’s been strong, September might be bumpy but not terrible. If the year’s been weak, September often makes it worst (hint: 2025 has be fantastic)

The chart below shows how each year was doing before September started. The bold and dashed lines highlight the three best and worst years, so you can see how they connect to what happened in September.

September’s Not the Villain—It’s the Mirror: What 10 Years of Market Data Reveal:

Getting September wrong can seriously derail your wealth-building momentum—not just from the drawdown itself, but from the mental trap of hesitating to re-enter, which risks missing October and November, historically two of the strongest months for market recovery and growth.
Bottom line: September can be tricky, but it’s not a mystery. If you know what to look for, you can spot the signs early—and maybe even use them to your advantage.

If you're looking to navigate September’s volatility—or position ahead of it Maendel Wealth can help you build a strategy that’s both informed and resilient. Whether you’re managing retirement assets, exploring crypto proxies, or just trying to make sense of market seasonality, our team specializes in modular, risk-managed approaches tailored to your goals.

To get started, visit maendelwealth.com, schedule a call, or reach out directly for a portfolio review. We’ll help you turn market noise into actionable insight!