Heat Wave: Here's How The S&P Has Performed Every July Since The Financial Crisis

Anyone familiar with the Wall Street adage “sell in May and go away” knows the summer months aren’t typically the best time of year to own stocks. However, since the Financial Crisis, July has certainly been an exception to the rule.

The S&P 500 has logged gains in five of the seven Julys since 2009, including July gains of 7.4 percent in 2009 and 6.9 percent in 2010. Three of the last four Julys have ushered in gains for the S&P 500, including last year when the market gained 2.0 percent on the month.

Overall, the S&P 500 has averaged a 2.7 percent gain in July since 2009.

Related Link: July's Best Sector ETF Ideas

July 2016 has gotten off to a bumpy start, with the S&P 500 down more than 17 points in early Tuesday trading.

According to data from CXO Advisory Group, the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund XLF has historically been the top-performing sector ETF during the month of July. The Consumer Staples Select Sect. SPDR (ETF) XLP and the Materials Select Sector SPDR XLB are other top July performers.

The Energy Select Sector SPDR (ETF) XLE has historically been the worst-performing sector ETF in July, while the Utilities SPDR (ETF) XLU and the Technology SPDR (ETF) XLK are also typically weak in July.

Disclosure: The author holds no position in the stocks mentioned.