Stocks eked out a gain in September despite a storm of escalated trade headlines and impeachment fears throughout the month. But if history is any indication, October could be a different story.
The upcoming month has historically been the most volatile as Wall Street’s so-called fear index, the Cboe Volatility Index, tends to peak in October. The VIX, as it’s also called, is known to jump more than 21 points on average in the month over the past three decades, according to Macro Risk Advisors. In that time frame, more than 190 S&P 500 companies have seen a daily move of more than 1% in October — the most of any given month, Macro Risk Advisors said.
The market’s surprising resilience in September — typically the worst month for stocks — could also signal the rally is about to lose steam, CNBC’s Yun Li writes.