The party's over Commentary: Reasons behind September's market notoriety
• Market WatchThe stock market is about to encounter its two worst months of the year. Fall is the time of year when the bears go for their annual romp down Wall Street. As the days grow shorter, stocks tend to decline in September and October far more often than they rise. Indeed, these two months are the only ones of the year where the average change in the Dow Jones Industrial Average has been negative. They have also contained many of the major crashes. There are several reasons why stocks usually stumble at this time. One could be that by September, many firms can no longer deny that their earnings forecasts for the year have been too optimistic. You can imagine how this goes down with investors. Another reason might be what amounts to a self-fulfilling prophecy. Because so many crashes have occurred in September and October, then these are the months when one should be out of the market -- kind of like whistling past the graveyard. The annual reminders by the media and the pu
