Middle East tensions and port strike add to challenges for investors in October

  • The ‘sell Rosh Hashanah, buy Yom Kippur’ investing strategy suggests selling before Rosh Hashanah and buying after Yom Kippur
  • Historically, the S&P 500 has shown an average loss of around 0.5% between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur since 1971
  • This year’s later start to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur may impact investors’ behavior
  • The strategy is ‘a moving target’ due to the lunar calendar not translating well to the Gregorian calendar
  • Market-moving events like Iran’s missile attack on Israel and the ongoing port strike add uncertainty to the stock market
  • Analysts advise considering seasonality as one factor among many when making investment decisions

The traditional ‘sell Rosh Hashanah, buy Yom Kippur’ investing strategy may not hold true this year due to the later start of Jewish holidays and increased market volatility. Analysts advise caution amid global events like Iran’s missile attack on Israel and the ongoing port strike in the US. Investors should consider multiple factors when making investment decisions.

Factuality Level: 8
Factuality Justification: The article provides accurate information about the ‘sell Rosh Hashanah, buy Yom Kippur’ strategy and its historical performance. It includes expert opinions from market analysts discussing potential factors that may impact this pattern in the current year, such as the Federal Reserve’s monetary-easing cycle, global events like the Iran missile attack on Israel, and the ongoing port strike in the U.S. The article also mentions broader economic trends like inflationary pressures and election uncertainties that could affect stock market performance. It presents a balanced view by acknowledging the potential influence of religious holidays on trading patterns while emphasizing the importance of considering other factors for investment decisions.
Noise Level: 3
Noise Justification: The article discusses a superstitious trading strategy based on religious holidays and provides some historical data about it. However, it also includes relevant information about the current market situation, such as the Federal Reserve’s monetary-easing cycle, the potential for a soft landing, and other global factors that could impact the stock market. The article does not dive too much into unrelated topics but could be considered somewhat noise due to its focus on this specific trading folklore.
Public Companies: S&P 500 (SPX), Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), Interactive Brokers ()
Key People: Yehuda Leibler (Chief Strategy and Technology Officer at ARX Advisory), Steve Sosnick (Chief Investment Officer at Interactive Brokers), Keith Lerner (Co-Chief Investment Officer and Chief Market Strategist at Truist Wealth)


Financial Relevance: Yes
Financial Markets Impacted: Yes
Financial Rating Justification: The article discusses the historical pattern of stock market performance during Jewish High Holidays and its potential impact on investors’ decisions, as well as other factors such as the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy, inflationary pressures, and election-related uncertainties. It also mentions the current state of various indices like S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and Nasdaq Composite.
Presence Of Extreme Event: No
Nature Of Extreme Event: No
Impact Rating Of The Extreme Event: No
Extreme Rating Justification: There is no extreme event mentioned in the article. The text discusses stock market trends and financial strategies related to Jewish holidays, but it does not describe an extreme event happening within the last 48 hours.
Move Size: No market move size mentioned.
Sector: Technology
Direction: Up
Magnitude: Small
Affected Instruments: Stocks

Reported publicly: www.marketwatch.com