Oct. 9 has loomed large in stock-market history. Why investors still shouldn’t buy into an October jinx.

Oct. 9 has twice coincided with major market turning points since 2000, which helps explain why the date attracts attention. In October 2002, major indexes closed at multiyear lows before beginning a recovery, and in October 2007, the S&P 500 peaked before the financial crisis. Those two data points understandably fuel talk of an "October jinx."

But two events do not establish a pattern. Markets are shaped by earnings, interest rates, inflation, and credit conditions — not calendar dates. The October 2002 low followed a steep bear market and aggressive policy easing; the October 2007 peak came as housing and credit stress were building. In both cases, fundamentals, not the page of the calendar, drove what happened next.

For investors, the practical takeaway is to treat seasonal lore as context, not a signal. What matters more is the trend in corporate profits, the path of central-bank policy, and whether credit markets are functioning normally. Those are the variables worth watching as autumn unfolds.