Late-Summer Rotation and September Seasonal Weakness

Conviction: 65% · Horizon: 3M · 2026-08-20
September is historically the weakest month for US and Canadian equities

Long-run data show the S&P 500 averaging a 1.2% decline in September since 1928, the S&P/TSX Composite averaging a 1.4% drop since 1970, and both indexes losing about 1.2% in September over the past 25 years, even if the rest of the year can still finish higher.

Instrument Side Target Reason
SPY Short We believe a short-duration underweight in US large-cap equities is warranted into September, the historically weakest calendar month, when the S&P 500 has averaged about a 1.2% decline.
Gold miners and energy stocks remain among the areas still making money

Investors have kept buying gold stocks, including quality producer Agnico Eagle, while energy shares have been bid up on lingering uncertainty around oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, even as parts of technology have been wobbly.

Instrument Side Target Reason
AEM Long We believe high-quality gold producers are attracting capital as investors look for real-asset exposure while parts of technology remain unstable, and Agnico Eagle is a scaled miner leveraged to that bid.
XLE Long We believe lingering uncertainty over oil transit through the Strait of Hormuz supports energy prices, and the sector still looks inexpensive versus the rest of the market.

Themes

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