September has presented the latest challenge to this bull market. The “September Effect”, as it is sometimes called, is often attributed to investors returning from holiday and starting to position for year-end. These investors may sell shares to lock in gains or capture tax losses to offset gains. Some may also be selling to acquire school gear for their children, which is not so much pens and notebooks these days but PCs and tablets. Why does this happen so often you may ask – if calendar events are so known, why are they not arbitraged away? It is because investor’s knowledge of past market patterns can make for self-fulfilling prophecies. This year, we view the September selling as a healthy and likely overdue shakeout of market excesses.