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How To Approach The Fourth Quarter After Its Strong Start

“‘Tis the season to be jolly…” I know. It’s only October, but it seems to get earlier every year.

But from the stock market’s perspective, it already is the season to be jolly. Seems like the market got the memo based on the big rally in the first two days of trading.

The fourth quarter is by far the best of the year for stocks. It is the only quarter in which all three months average positive returns, with the S&P 500 averaging a 4.2% gain over the last 72 years (according to the Stock Trader’s Almanac).

Of course, this year has been historically bad, so will these trends prevail? And what should investors do at this unusual time in market history?

This post appeared first on InvestorPlace.