Stock Market Sell-Off: Is It Really Safe to Invest Right Now? Here's What History Says.

Key Points War, inflation, and rising Treasury yields have been testing the S&P 500 lately. Sell-offs, corrections, and bear markets are nothing extraordinary and happen more than investors may think. The market's best days often occur during a bear market or at the start of a bull market. 10 stocks we like better than S&P 500 Index › September has historically been the S&P 500 's (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) weakest month, and this year's looks no different. As of this writing on Sept. 15, the S&P 500 is down over 100 points since the start of the month, a roughly 1.3% decline. The market index has still been up over 15% since last September and has notched an 11% gain since the start of 2026.