Every year, Fall gives me the heebie-jeebies. Not just because Summer is over and the cold winds are blowing, but because the markets tend to give investors the September scaries.

Make no mistake, seasonal changes have an impact on the stock market too. There are many reasons as to why this happens, such as presidential cycles, consumer behaviour, and even fall harvests. I, however, just accept that it happens, and work to prepare for it as best I can.

This September has proven to be no better than previous years in the North American stock markets. Investors heavily concentrated in bonds and dividend paying stocks continue to be frustrated by higher interest rates negatively impacting their portfolios. Even a well diversified portfolio is lagging this year as most of the gains on the S&P500 have been on the backs of only 7 technology stocks.

The leaves have begun changing colour here in beautiful Western Newfoundland, some call it Autumn and some call it Fall, but in the stock market there’s no debate – it’s been the start of the fall. Fingers crossed it’s not a hard one.