Minuk's Musings and Friday the 13th

Have you heard of triskaidekaphobia? It is the fear of the number 13 – seriously, it’s a thing.

 

 

And if you have this phobia, then you probably also have what is called “araskavedekatriaphobia” which is defined as an “irrational fear of Friday the 13^th”.

 

Today just so happens to be Friday the 13^th!

 

 

As a professional investment advisor, I think it is my duty to consider whether we should be afraid of investing on this fateful day.

 

According to my findings, extensive research on the topic was completed last year by Bespoke Investment Group.

 

They found that the S&P 500 index tends to outperform on Fridays and on the 13^th day of the month.

 

However, when the two occur together, on Friday the 13^th , average gains for the S&P 500 were 4 times the historical average daily move dating back to 1953, when the modern five-day trading week was first adopted.

 

As of the time of writing this at 10:30am, the trend continues with the S&P500 up 0.4% and the TSX is up 0.5% on the day.

 

 

Have a nice weekend.

 

Rich

Investment Advisor