Should you invest in July?
Below is the 12-month entry ranking (JPI Fair method, S&P 500, 2015-2024) — July is highlighted — then the year-by-year detail for buying in early July.
| # | Month | Return / yr | Ratio | $1,000 becomes (10y) | S&P 500 comparison |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | November | +21.6% | 0.85 | $7,046 | +12.6% |
| 2 | October | +19.3% | 0.74 | $5,864 | +13.3% |
| 3 | December | +17.3% | 1.53 | $4,946 | +12.6% |
| 4 | January | +15.8% | 1.07 | $4,341 | +11.1% |
| 5 | February | +14.5% | 0.9 | $3,865 | +11.7% |
| 6 | September | +12.7% | 0.54 | $3,294 | +12.6% |
| 7 | May | +12.6% | 0.36 | $3,278 | +10.3% |
| 8 | June | +12.2% | 0.34 | $3,160 | +10.8% |
| 9 | April | +11.7% | 0.21 | $3,033 | +10.5% |
| 10 | August | +10.2% | 0.42 | $2,631 | +11.6% |
| 11 | March | +7.4% | 0.35 | $2,044 | +10.9% |
| 12 | July | +4.7% | 0.14 | $1,580 | +11.6% |
• Return / yr: average annual gain of that selection if you buy that month, over 2015-2024.
• Ratio: return ÷ volatility — higher means steadier results (S&P 500 ≈ 0.9).
• $1000 becomes (10y): what $1000 invested that month each year would become after 10 years (compounded).
• S&P 500 comparison: the average S&P 500 return over the same period — far more stable regardless of the month.
Year by year — buy early July
| Year | Return (buy early July) |
|---|---|
| 2026 ⏳ | +20.6% (in progress) |
| 2025 | +84.5% |
| 2024 | -5.4% |
| 2023 | -5.3% |
| 2022 | +43.8% |
| 2021 | -34.5% |
| 2020 | +80.8% |
| 2019 | -19% |
| 2018 | -1% |
| 2017 | +17.6% |
| 2016 | +26.8% |
| 2015 | -13.4% |
📊 Interactive version — July, 3 universes, filters →
FAQ
Is July a good time to invest?
Over 2015-2024, buying in early July (JPI Fair method, S&P 500) returned +4.7%/yr on average, the 12th best of the 12 months. But 10 years is little: it's a tendency, not a guarantee, and the entry month matters less than staying invested.
What would $1000 invested in July have become?
On average over 2015-2024, $1000 invested in early July each year (12-month hold, JPI Fair method) would have become about $1580, versus the S&P 500 index on the same basis.
What is the best month to invest compared to July?
In our 2015-2024 ranking, November comes first. July is the 12th best. See the full 12-month ranking above.
What is JPI Invest?
JPI Invest aggregates analyst recommendations across the entire S&P 500, the S&P MidCap 400 and the S&P SmallCap 600, replays them against real prices and measures who predicts best — on results, not reputation. Instead of taking a price target at face value, you see each analyst's track record on each stock.
- 🏆 Analyst leaderboard by real reliability (beating their sector, not just riding the rally)
- 🎯 What to buy: 3 backtested methods over 11 years, from cautious to aggressive
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⚠️ Educational analysis, not investment advice. Point-in-time backtest on recomputed Yahoo data, short sample. Past performance does not predict the future.