The calendar turned to October and volatility instantly picked up in a big way - with three consecutive 1% moves for the S&P 500 Index to start the month. As we noted in our October preview, this month gets a bad rap for being a bearish month (it isn’t), but it absolutely owns the title as the most volatile month.
It took nearly a full year, but the S&P 500 finally had its first 5% pullback of 2021, thus ending hopes of 2021 joining 1954, 1958, 1964, 1993, 1995, and 2017 as the only years to go a full calendar year without a 5% move lower.
“Volatility is the price of admission,” explained LPL Financial Chief Market Strategist Ryan Detrick. “Sure, we’d all prefer stocks go straight up forever, but that isn’t reality. Investors must learn to embrace and accept the eventual scares and bouts of volatility that are common even in the strongest bull markets.”
As shown below, since 1980, stocks have experienced a 14.2% peak-to-trough pullback on average during the year, putting the recent 5% pullback in perspective. In fact, 21 out of the past 41 years saw at least a 10% correction. Incredibly, 12 of those years finished in the green and those 12 years gained an average of 17.0%. Who could forget last year’s 34% bear market and move back to up 16% by the end of the year? In other words, big pullbacks can happen even in years that see outsized gains, which is why this chart is so important for investors.
Taking things a step further, this year the S&P 500 produced one of its best ever year-to-date gains through September, up 14.7% with a quarter to go. It turns out that good starts to a year tend to resolve higher. In fact, 9 of the past 10 years the S&P 500 was up at least 12.5% with a quarter to go there were further gains in the fourth quarter. As you can see below, the returns are greatly skewed due to 1987, but the median return in the final quarter of the year is an impressive 5.2% (versus the average fourth quarter return of 4.0%).
If you have specific questions related to your own investment strategy or financial planning needs, we welcome you to call us at 302.234.5655 or email us at contactus@covenantwealthstrategies.com to set up time to discuss further.
Disclosures:
This material is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. There is no assurance that the views or strategies discussed are suitable for all investors or will yield positive outcomes. Investing involves risks including possible loss of principal. Any economic forecasts set forth may not develop as predicted and are subject to change.
References to markets, asset classes, and sectors are generally regarding the corresponding market index. Indexes are unmanaged statistical composites and cannot be invested into directly. Index performance is not indicative of the performance of any investment and do not reflect fees, expenses, or sales charges. All performance referenced is historical and is no guarantee of future results.
Any company names noted herein are for educational purposes only and not an indication of trading intent or a solicitation of their products or services. LPL Financial doesn’t provide research on individual equities. All information is believed to be from reliable sources; however, LPL Financial makes no representation as to its completeness or accuracy.
All index and market data from FactSet and MarketWatch.
This Research material was prepared by LPL Financial, LLC.
