

Three or 4 years ago I thought I had discovered a trend with the stock markets. I think ‘pattern’ is the word I meant to use. I’ve noticed in my life that when life’s rhythms change I ask why is that? I thought I would use this skill (?) to be an incredible “market timer”! Knowing just when to invest and becoming fabulously wealthy. It just hasn’t happened quite yet.
The calendar I put up is a payday calendar for those on a 26 pay period per year pay schedule (most people). Probably the largest influx of money the market sees is when the country’s largest employer (the federal government) buys stocks for the Thrift Savings Plan. Domestically there is the S&P 500 fund the ‘C’ Fund, and the Russell 200 Index fund the ‘S’ Fund.
38 years ago the Federal Employees Retirement System replaced the Civil Service retirement system. The new system is more like an employer match 401K style where the employee chooses what combination to invest in from stocks, bonds and a special ‘G’ Fund of government securities.
That purchase happens on the Wednesday in between the payday Fridays, which happens to be today, Wednesday the 12th of October. The market is holding its own today or is slightly up. Its been cratering a lot lately, but as I’ve noticed over the years, it may be falling like a rock all week, but it won’t be on “buy Wednesdays”. I don’t have the time patience or ability to chart this over the nearly 40 years of the Thrift Savings Plan, but I just have the darndest hunch I’m right.
The various stock exchanges pay brokerage houses like Robin Hood and Vanguard to find out buyer trends. They want to know before the buy order comes in what that order is. They manipulate that knowledge to set stock prices. And when it gets to the point where things are not going in their favor (think meme stocks GME, BBB, AMC etc) they’ll just shutdown trading as they have many times over the past 2 years.
So ever since they’ve known (for 40 years) when the biggest stock purchases will be twice a month, it would not surprise me in the least to know they make damn sure to keep prices high those 2 Wednesdays a month. This was the plebes are getting the least for their money.












