Accenture plc (ACN) stock forecasts.

Summary

In theory, investors can breathe easier heading into the fourth quarter, when markets typically post their strongest returns of the year. To draw this conclusion, we analyzed data collected on the performance of the S&P 500 over the period 1980-2022. By our calculations, the quarter generated an average profit of 4.8%, compared to gains of 2.3%, 2.9% and 0.4% for the first, second and third quarters respectively. The fourth quarter is also consistent, with a ‘win rate’ of 82%. This means that stock returns in the fourth quarter of the five years are positive, compared to profit rates of 67% in the first and second quarters and 62% in the third quarter. But to be fair, the fourth quarter has posted its share of clunkers. In 1987, which included Black Friday, stocks fell 23% during that period; while they sold off 18% in 2008, after the collapse of Lehman Brothers and as the US economy entered a deep recession. As recently as 2018, stock prices fell 14% in the final quarter as trade wars intensified and the Federal Reserve raised interest rates. But last year, when stocks were still in the early stages of the current bull market