September is here and that means the kids are back in school, pennant races tighten up and football gets into full swing (except for Roethlisberger). September also brings the expectation that full market participation is back. Let’s hope so because the Summer was nice and boring (perfect for premium selling).

Still fresh in the minds of many is September of 2009 when the $SPY took  a 10.8% hit and many sold positions and liquidated soon thereafter. September also reminds us of how fragile life really is and that we should make every day count.

Below you can see a chart that represents the last 15 years of September’s performance with the average return being  -0.65% Yes, September is a mixed bag when it comes to trying to gauge the end result. Keeping an eye on volatility can lend some insight but there are no guarantees. Place your bets!