• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises

2

Despite having a $165 million net worth, Scarlett Johansson says work-life balance doesn’t exist—and the first step to success is admitting that

3

Current price of oil as of May 15, 2026

1

The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises

2

Despite having a $165 million net worth, Scarlett Johansson says work-life balance doesn’t exist—and the first step to success is admitting that

3

Current price of oil as of May 15, 2026
Finance

Buckle up: August is historically a rough month for stock investors

Anne Sraders
By
Anne Sraders
Anne Sraders
Down Arrow Button Icon
Anne Sraders
By
Anne Sraders
Anne Sraders
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 2, 2021, 12:32 PM ET

Investors may still have their out-of-office replies turned on during their late-summer vacations, but August could pull them back to reality.

“Throughout the month of July, investors had been singing ‘Summertime, and the livin’ is easy,'” with the S&P 500 posting seven all-time highs, Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA, wrote in a Monday note. “Unfortunately,” he added, the month of August “has a reputation for disappointing investors.”

He notes that since 1945, “the S&P 500 posted its third-worst average monthly return, and third most volatile performance, in August. To make matters worse, while the S&P 500 was higher 55% of the time in August, that batting average fell to only 35% following the 23 years in which the S&P set one or more new highs in July. And to add insult to injury, following the 13 Julys that set six or more new all-time highs, the S&P 500 declined an average 2.4% in August, and fell in price 12 of 13 times.”

Those aren’t the only trends working against the markets this month. According to an LPL Financial report out Monday, stocks “tend to peak” on Aug. 6 during a postelection year that features a new party holding the presidency (of which 2021 is one).

For 2021 in particular, CFRA’s Stovall suggests investors may see a bit of red in the markets in August as “the likely peak in EPS growth for this earnings cycle, along with stubbornly strong inflation readings and the ongoing threat posed by the Delta variant, may cause investors to consider pocketing some of this year’s gains.” He also notes that the upcoming Fed retreat in Wyoming in August could give investors more insight into the Fed’s schedule for tapering off its support of the economy.

“There are some question marks” in the market currently, Lindsey Bell, chief investment strategist at Ally Invest, tells Fortune. “I think we’re going to get that volatility that’s historically expected in the month of August and into September,” she argues, “so I think the remainder of the third quarter could be a little bit rocky. But we have the fourth quarter to look forward to.”

While history may not necessarily be on investors’ side for the month, let’s also keep things in perspective: The S&P 500 is up 17% so far this year, and many on the Street project stocks ending the year higher (JPMorgan, for one, predicts we’ll settle at the 4,600 mark). The S&P, Dow, and Nasdaq were all in the green as of midday Monday.

The coronavirus and tapering worries notwithstanding, stocks should be buoyed by the strength of the consumer and continued strong earnings through year’s end, Bell believes. And while she thinks a correction (a selloff of 10%) would be healthy, dip buyers may continue to step in: “There’s still a lot of money in the marketplace; there’s a lot of liquidity out there; and people are putting their cash into the market when they see some sort of opportunity.”

That would seem to be supported by the data, too, as stocks’ bullish streak in recent months bodes well for further bullishness, LPL’s Ryan Detrick noted on Twitter (see chart).

The S&P 500 will be up 6 months in a row.

Turns out, these rare streaks are quite bullish.

In fact, a year after a 6 month win streak the S&P 500 was higher 18 of 21 times with a very solid 11.9% average return. pic.twitter.com/YHa0bkypYY

— Ryan Detrick, CMT (@RyanDetrick) July 30, 2021

“Historically when you have a good start to the year, we’re going to have pullbacks. We’d be a buyer; we think this upward trajectory…is still in play,” Detrick said on CNBC’s Squawk Box on Monday. “Buy those dips.”

Subscribe to Fortune Daily to get essential business stories straight to your inbox each morning.

About the Author
Anne Sraders
By Anne Sraders
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

bhaskar
Economydisruption
The prophet of the ‘Wired Belt’ says capitalism is finally eating itself
By Bhaskar ChakravortiMay 16, 2026
44 minutes ago
cyborg
Future of WorkProductivity
AI’s cyborg problem: you have to embrace it to really succeed but 90% of people can’t or don’t want to
By Nick LichtenbergMay 16, 2026
2 hours ago
greg
Personal FinanceAviation
Mamdani’s New York is coming to tax your private jet. Here’s how to prepare
By Greg RaiffMay 16, 2026
2 hours ago
Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer of Meta Platforms Inc., left, and US President Donald Trump during a dinner with tech leaders in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. US President Donald Trump said he would be imposing tariffs on semiconductor imports "very shortly" but spare goods from companies like Apple Inc. that have pledged to boost their US investments. Photographer: Will Oliver/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Big TechDonald Trump
How Trump’s ‘unusual’ brokerage account traded around his own market-moving decisions—selling hyperscalers and buying energy stocks during the war
By Eva RoytburgMay 15, 2026
11 hours ago
Berkshire triples Alphabet stake and buys Delta stock while dumping Amazon in Greg Abel’s first quarter as CEO
InvestingBerkshire Hathaway
Berkshire triples Alphabet stake and buys Delta stock while dumping Amazon in Greg Abel’s first quarter as CEO
By Josh Funk and The Associated PressMay 15, 2026
12 hours ago
SpaceX said to plan public IPO filing as soon as Wednesday
Big TechIPOs
SpaceX said to plan public IPO filing as soon as Wednesday
By Anthony Hughes, Bailey Lipschultz and BloombergMay 15, 2026
12 hours ago

Most Popular

The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
Politics
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
By Jake AngeloMay 12, 2026
4 days ago
Despite having a $165 million net worth, Scarlett Johansson says work-life balance doesn’t exist—and the first step to success is admitting that
Success
Despite having a $165 million net worth, Scarlett Johansson says work-life balance doesn’t exist—and the first step to success is admitting that
By Preston ForeMay 13, 2026
3 days ago
Current price of oil as of May 15, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of May 15, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 15, 2026
22 hours ago
Nearly 50,000 Lake Tahoe residents have to find a new power source after their energy source looks to redirect lines to data centers
Travel & Leisure
Nearly 50,000 Lake Tahoe residents have to find a new power source after their energy source looks to redirect lines to data centers
By Catherina GioinoMay 12, 2026
4 days ago
The airplane fuel shortage is a myth propagated by airlines who want to cancel unprofitable flights, says private jet CEO
Energy
The airplane fuel shortage is a myth propagated by airlines who want to cancel unprofitable flights, says private jet CEO
By Jim EdwardsMay 14, 2026
2 days ago
Top economist says $39 trillion national debt leaves government worse prepared for recession than ever
Economy
Top economist says $39 trillion national debt leaves government worse prepared for recession than ever
By Eva RoytburgMay 14, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.