Friday 13th – unlucky for investors?

This Friday sees the only Friday 13^th of 2016 – a day which instils fear in the resolutely superstitious. Indeed many change their patterns of behaviour on this date, refusing to take flights, avoiding black cats and side-stepping ladders in fear of inciting bad luck and misfortune. A 1993 study published by the British Medical Journal found that traffic volumes on the southern section of the M25 were consistently lower on this date compared to normal Fridays. Trepidation of the stock market on this date was portrayed in the 1907 novel Friday the Thirteenth by eccentric stockbroker Thomas Lawson detailing an evil business’s attempts to crash the stock market on the unluckiest day of the year.

So should those of a superstitious disposition worry about what bodes for their investments this Friday? Leading investment group Tilney Bestinvest has delved into the returns on the FTSE 100 Index for every Friday the 13^th over the past 20 years to see if there is any malevolent trend.

Jason Hollands, Managing Director at Tilney Bestinvest, commented on the findings:

“From an investment perspective, rest assured that Friday 13^th is no different from any other Friday – so panic over. The data highlights that over a twenty year time span there is an even split of positive (51%) and negative (49%) returns on this date. However, for those determined to find sinister forces at work, since 2010, 73% of the time there has been a negative return on the FTSE 100 Index on Friday 13^th - but looking at eleven days does not have reliable statistical significance.”

“In any case, if you are a long-term investor daily jitters in the markets are frankly irrelevant and actually a sudden slide would be a rather lucky day for those who happen to be investing new money. On Friday, you may still wish to keep a hold of a rabbit’s foot and treat mirrors with extra care, but it really shouldn’t be a day to avoid the stock markets.”

*Market data for past Friday 13^th’s:

Source: Tilney Bestinvest

Important information

The value of investments, and the income derived from them, can go down as well as up and you can get back less than you originally invested. This press release is not advice to invest or to use our services. Past performance is not a guide to future performance.

Press contacts:

Jason Hollands
0207 189 9919 / 07768 661382
jason.hollands@tilneybestinvest.co.uk

Gillian Kyle
0203 818 6846 / 07989 650 604
gillian.kyle@tilneybestinvest.co.uk