Market Commentary September 2018

After summer the stock market tends to burst back into life in September. Unfortunately, the renewed activity in shares tends to be on the downside. Since 1984, the FTSE 100 index has an average return of -1.2% in this month; this gives September the worst record for shares for any month of the year. Whilst past calendar month performance should not be seen as an indicator of future performance, all investors would do well to remember that experienced investors are aware of seasonal patterns in the market. These market veterans are not likely to “fight the tape” should a seasonal pattern begin to prevail.