August Trading Data - What Does It Mean For Traders?
Turns out “quiet August” might just be a myth traders keep repeating.
You always hear it:
“Oh, August is a quiet month…”
Because, well… it’s summer, right?
Traders on holiday.
Desks half-staffed.
Kids off school.
Funds cruising.
And yeah, I’ve said it too.
“Watch out for a vol crush in August, Mark… last year was an anomaly…”
But this time, I thought: 
Let’s actually look at the data. (Here I am telling everyone August is quiet, maybe I’ve got some deep-rooted trauma bias from the 2005 range crush, and I’m actually full of sh*t)
AUGUST STATS
I pulled the SPY (S&P 500 ETF) monthly stats, a solid enough benchmark for volume, range, and movement.
Plugged it into my old pal ChatGPT. (So take everything with caution)
Here’s what came back:
33-Year August Stats:
60% of Augusts closed green
Best month: +6.4%
Worst month: -14.1%
Average return: -0.27% (dragged down by a few wild ones)
Volume: Above average
️ Volatility: In line with most months
Then I asked for the past 10 years, including median range to filter out the 2024 madness:
Last 10 Years:
Avg return: +0.85% 7 out of 10 closed green
Median range: 18 points Average range: 21 points
Worst August: -3.4% Volume: Still strong
So yeah… turns out “quiet August” is more myth than reality.
The pace might be what I call staccato… quiet lulls, then sharp bursts of volatility.
But actually? The opportunities are still there.
Maybe it’s the price action rhythm that changes.
Or maybe I have been full of 
, and August’s no different than any other month…
Either way, risk management and picking our spots will keep us in the game. Whatever the market throws at us.