In superstition, thirteen gets treated like the guest nobody wants at the dinner party. Hotels skip the 13th floor, horror movies build entire franchises around it, and some people side-eye Friday the 13th as if their toaster might suddenly start giving investment advice. But on Wall Street, the number thirteen has a different story to tell. For the S&P 500, thirteen was not unlucky at all. In fact, it became a neat little symbol of market strength.
The phrase “Thirteen Isn’t Unlucky for the S&P 500” points back to a remarkable stretch in 2021, when the index posted at least one record closing high for 13 consecutive weeks. That was not a quiet, boring, “nothing to see here” kind of rally. It happened while investors were still watching COVID-19 variants, consumer-confidence surveys, inflation chatter, and Federal Reserve policy like hawks with brokerage accounts.
The larger lesson is simple: the stock market does not move according to superstition. It moves on earnings, liquidity, expectations, interest rates, investor psychology, and sometimes a hearty serving of “well, nobody really saw that coming.” For long-term investors, the 13-week record-high streak is a useful case study in why headlines can feel scary even while the market keeps climbing the staircase.
What the S&P 500 Actually Measures
Before we give thirteen its lucky hat, it helps to understand what the S&P 500 is. The S&P 500 is widely viewed as the leading benchmark for large-cap U.S. stocks. It includes 500 major companies and represents a large share of the investable U.S. equity market. Because the index is weighted by float-adjusted market capitalization, the biggest companies have the biggest influence on its daily moves.
That means the S&P 500 is not a simple “one company, one vote” scoreboard. A trillion-dollar technology giant can move the index more than a smaller industrial or consumer company. This structure helps explain why market leadership matters. When the largest companies are producing strong earnings, buying back shares, expanding margins, or attracting investor enthusiasm, the S&P 500 can rise even if not every stock in the index is having a parade.
Why Investors Watch It So Closely
The S&P 500 is often used as shorthand for “the stock market,” even though the market is much broader. Financial advisors use it as a benchmark. Fund managers compare themselves against it. Retirement savers see it inside index funds and exchange-traded funds. Economic commentators cite it as a quick gauge of investor confidence.
When the S&P 500 makes record highs, people notice. Some celebrate. Some worry. Some immediately ask, “Is it too late to invest?” That question has been asked at nearly every market high in history, usually while the market quietly sharpens a pencil and prepares to make everyone look either brilliant or silly.
The Meaning Behind the “Thirteen”
In 2021, the S&P 500 produced a strong rally after the pandemic-driven crash of 2020. By late August of that year, the index had posted at least one record closing high every week for 13 straight weeks. In August alone, the index produced multiple record closes. This was especially striking because the economic backdrop was far from perfect.
Consumer sentiment weakened sharply during that period. The University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index fell in August 2021 to its lowest level in nearly a decade. The Conference Board also reported a drop in consumer confidence as the Delta variant created fresh uncertainty. On paper, that sounds like a recipe for investor nerves. In reality, stocks kept finding support.
Why? Because markets are forward-looking. Investors were not ignoring the bad news; they were weighing it against other forces. Corporate profits were strong, interest rates were still extremely low, and many investors believed the U.S. economy would avoid another nationwide lockdown. In other words, the market was not saying, “Everything is perfect.” It was saying, “The future may still be profitable enough.”
Record Highs Are Not Automatically Warning Signs
A new market high can feel emotionally awkward. Buying after a big rally feels like arriving late to a party and wondering whether the cake is gone. But history shows that record highs are not automatically bearish. Strong markets often make repeated highs because strength tends to build on itself.
Research from major investment firms has shown that the S&P 500 has spent a meaningful number of trading days at or near all-time highs over long periods. Some of those highs were followed by corrections, of course. Markets are generous, but they are not house-trained. However, many record highs became stepping stones to even higher levels later.
The key distinction is time horizon. A short-term trader may care deeply about whether the next 3% move is up or down. A long-term investor is usually more concerned with whether earnings, productivity, innovation, and economic growth can compound over years. The S&P 500’s 13-week streak was a reminder that markets can look expensive, stretched, and headline-sensitive while still continuing higher.
Why the 2021 Rally Had Fuel
The 2021 rally did not appear out of thin air. Several forces worked together to support stock prices.
1. Corporate Earnings Were Strong
Corporate earnings are the engine of stock prices over time. In 2021, many companies rebounded from the pandemic shock faster than expected. Businesses cut costs, adapted to remote work, leaned into digital sales, and benefited from reopening demand. When earnings estimates rise, stock prices often follow, especially when investors believe the improvement can continue.
2. Interest Rates Were Low
Low interest rates can support stock valuations. When bonds offer modest yields, investors may be more willing to pay higher prices for equities, especially companies with durable growth. In 2021, the Federal Reserve was still maintaining highly accommodative policy after its emergency pandemic response. That environment helped create a tailwind for risk assets.
3. The Economy Was Reopening
Despite renewed virus concerns, the U.S. economy was no longer in the emergency shutdown phase of early 2020. Consumers were spending, companies were hiring, and many businesses were learning how to operate with health restrictions, supply-chain issues, and changing customer behavior. The market saw disruption, but it also saw adaptation.
4. Investor Psychology Improved
Markets are not powered by spreadsheets alone. They also run on confidence, fear, greed, patience, regret, and the occasional group chat that says, “Should I buy the dip?” In 2021, many investors had watched the market recover dramatically from the pandemic low. That recovery reinforced the idea that staying invested could be rewarded, even when headlines looked gloomy.
The S&P 500 Can Rise While People Feel Nervous
One of the most important lessons from the 13-week streak is that the economy, consumers, and the stock market do not always move in perfect sync. A consumer may feel uneasy about prices, politics, job security, or health risks. At the same time, publicly traded companies may still be expanding revenue, improving margins, and raising guidance.
This gap can confuse investors. If consumers feel bad, why are stocks rising? The answer is that the S&P 500 reflects expected corporate profits, not a national mood ring. Consumer confidence matters, but it is only one input. Earnings, monetary policy, liquidity, productivity, global demand, and investor positioning also matter.
That does not mean sentiment should be ignored. When confidence collapses and spending follows, companies can suffer. But the market often looks beyond the current survey result and asks what conditions may look like six, twelve, or eighteen months ahead.
What Happened After the Streak?
The 2021 story did not end with thirteen weeks of record highs. The S&P 500 went on to record 70 closing highs during 2021, one of the strongest record-setting years in market history. But investors who assumed the party would never pause received a cold splash of reality in 2022, when inflation, rising interest rates, and recession fears drove a sharp market decline.
Then came another twist. After the difficult 2022 market, the S&P 500 rebounded strongly in 2023 and 2024. That sequence is almost too perfect as a teaching tool: a huge rally, a painful correction, and then a recovery. Markets rarely move in a straight line. They are more like a mountain road designed by someone who enjoys suspense.
For investors, the lesson is not “buy every high without thinking.” The lesson is also not “panic whenever stocks look expensive.” The better takeaway is that market timing is extremely difficult. Valuation matters. Risk management matters. Diversification matters. But superstition and emotional guessing are not investment strategies.
Why “Lucky” Is the Wrong Word for Long-Term Investing
Calling thirteen lucky for the S&P 500 is fun, but long-term investing is not really about luck. It is about process. Investors who build wealth through the S&P 500 typically benefit from several disciplined habits: consistent contributions, diversification, low costs, dividend reinvestment, tax awareness, and the patience to survive ugly years.
The market rewards patience unevenly. Some years deliver gains that feel almost too easy. Other years test every investor’s emotional plumbing. Historical data shows that stock returns are lumpy. The long-term average may look smooth on a chart, but real investors experience it as a bumpy ride filled with detours, potholes, and financial news anchors using dramatic music.
The Problem With Waiting for the “Perfect” Entry Point
Many investors hesitate when the S&P 500 is at a record high. They think, “I’ll wait for a pullback.” Sometimes that works. Sometimes the pullback never comes, or it comes from a much higher level. Waiting can feel safe, but cash has its own risk: the risk of missing compounding.
A practical solution is dollar-cost averaging. Instead of investing all at once, an investor can spread purchases over time. This does not guarantee a profit or prevent loss, but it can reduce the emotional pressure of choosing one perfect day. For retirement investors, automated contributions can be especially powerful because they turn investing into a habit rather than a monthly debate with anxiety.
How Investors Can Read Record Highs More Wisely
When the S&P 500 hits repeated highs, investors should avoid both extremes. Blind optimism is dangerous. So is permanent pessimism. A better approach is to ask a few grounded questions.
Are Earnings Supporting the Move?
If stock prices rise because earnings are rising, the rally may have stronger support. If prices rise mainly because investors are willing to pay more for the same earnings, valuations may become more vulnerable.
What Is Happening With Interest Rates?
Interest rates influence borrowing costs, bond yields, and stock valuations. Low rates can support higher valuations, while rapidly rising rates can pressure growth stocks and highly valued sectors.
Is Market Leadership Broad or Narrow?
A rally led by many sectors may be healthier than one carried by a handful of giant companies. That said, the S&P 500’s market-cap weighting means big-company leadership can still drive impressive index returns.
Does Your Personal Plan Still Make Sense?
This is the question that matters most. The right move for a 28-year-old investing for retirement may be very different from the right move for a 67-year-old drawing portfolio income. The S&P 500 does not know your rent, your emergency fund, your mortgage, or your sleep quality. Your plan should.
Risk Still Exists, Even When the Market Looks Strong
A cheerful article about thirteen not being unlucky should not turn into a cheerleading routine with pom-poms made of index-fund prospectuses. The S&P 500 can decline sharply. Bear markets happen. Corrections happen. Recessions happen. Great companies can become overpriced, and popular market narratives can reverse quickly.
Investors should respect risk. Diversification across asset classes, periodic rebalancing, and a realistic emergency fund can help reduce the chance that a market downturn forces bad decisions. The best portfolio is not always the one with the highest possible return. It is often the one an investor can actually hold when the market starts throwing furniture.
Experiences and Practical Reflections: What “Thirteen Isn’t Unlucky” Feels Like in Real Investing
The experience of investing during a record-setting market is strangely emotional. On paper, everyone likes gains. In real life, gains create new worries. When the S&P 500 keeps hitting highs, investors do not always feel relaxed. They often feel suspicious. The internal monologue sounds something like this: “This is great. Too great. Suspiciously great. Did I accidentally invest right before gravity files a complaint?”
That feeling is normal. Many investors are more comfortable buying after prices fall because bargains feel sensible. But markets are tricky. A stock or index can look expensive, then keep rising because earnings improve, interest rates fall, productivity increases, or investors become willing to pay more for future growth. The uncomfortable truth is that waiting for obvious comfort often means waiting until prices are already higher.
One practical experience many long-term investors share is regret from overreacting. They sell during a scary headline, feel smart for a week, then watch the market recover without them. Getting back in becomes harder than getting out. The investor waits for a second chance, then a third chance, then begins negotiating with the chart like it is a stubborn vending machine. This is why a written investment plan matters. It gives you rules before emotions get loud.
The 13-week S&P 500 record-high streak is also a reminder that markets can climb a wall of worry. In 2021, investors had plenty to worry about: virus variants, inflation, supply chains, labor shortages, and uncertain central-bank policy. Yet the market continued upward because corporate America was adapting quickly. Companies raised prices, improved digital operations, managed costs, and found ways to keep profits moving. The lesson is not that bad news does not matter. The lesson is that markets care about whether bad news is worse or better than expected.
Another experience worth noting is the difference between watching the market and participating in it. Watching daily moves can feel chaotic. Participating through a disciplined long-term plan can feel much calmer. The S&P 500 may rise, fall, rally, correct, and recover, but an investor who contributes regularly is not trying to win every trading day. That investor is trying to own a broad slice of American business over time.
For beginners, the hardest part is often accepting that there is no perfect emotional moment to invest. When the market is down, fear says, “What if it falls more?” When the market is up, fear says, “What if I’m too late?” Fear is very creative; unfortunately, it is a terrible portfolio manager. A better habit is to connect investment decisions to goals: retirement, education, financial independence, or long-term wealth preservation.
Experienced investors often learn to treat record highs as information, not instructions. A new high does not automatically mean buy aggressively, and it does not automatically mean sell. It means the market has repriced expectations upward. The next step is to review allocation, risk tolerance, time horizon, and cash needs. If the plan still fits, the record high may require no action at all. Sometimes the smartest investment move is delightfully boring.
Finally, the number thirteen offers a useful mental shortcut. It reminds investors that superstition is not analysis. The market does not care about lucky numbers, calendar myths, or whether a hotel skipped a floor. It cares about profits, policy, innovation, productivity, liquidity, and expectations. The S&P 500’s 13-week streak was not magic. It was a snapshot of a market supported by powerful forces at that moment. Investors who understand those forces are better prepared than investors who simply ask whether the market feels lucky.
Conclusion
“Thirteen Isn’t Unlucky for the S&P 500” is more than a clever headline. It captures a serious investing lesson in a memorable way. In 2021, the S&P 500’s 13-week record-high streak showed that markets can remain strong even when the news feels uncomfortable. The rally was supported by corporate earnings, low interest rates, reopening momentum, and investor confidence in the future.
For long-term investors, the bigger takeaway is not to worship record highs or fear them blindly. The smarter path is to understand what drives the market, respect risk, diversify properly, and stay aligned with personal goals. Thirteen may be spooky in elevators and slasher films, but for the S&P 500, it became a reminder that disciplined investing beats superstition almost every time.
