Just came across something interesting – there's this old theory from Samuel Benner back in 1875 about predicting economic cycles, and honestly, it's wild how relevant it still feels when you're thinking about the period when to make money in markets.

So basically, Benner broke down financial markets into three repeating patterns. First, you've got panic years – these are the rough periods when financial crises hit and markets collapse. Think 1927, 1945, 1965, 1981, 1999, 2019. The theory suggests these show up roughly every 18-20 years, and the key advice here is simple: don't panic sell during these times. Just sit tight.

Then there are the boom years – this is when you actually want to be taking profits. Markets are recovering, prices are surging, and it's the period when to make money by selling and locking in gains. Years like 1928, 1935, 1943, 1953, 1960, 1968, 1973, 1980, 1989, 1996, 2000, 2007, 2016, 2020, and we're actually in one of these cycles right now in 2026.

The third pattern is recession years – when prices are depressed and the economy is struggling. This is actually when smart money moves in. You buy stocks, land, commodities at low prices, then hold until the boom years return. Historical examples: 1924, 1931, 1942, 1951, 1958, 1969, 1978, 1985, 1996, 2005, 2012, 2023. Notice 2023 was marked as a recession period, which makes sense looking back.

The whole framework comes down to timing: accumulate during hard times when assets are cheap, then distribute during boom periods when prices spike. Skip the panic years entirely – don't fight the market when it's in crisis mode.

Obviously, this isn't a crystal ball. Markets get shaped by politics, wars, tech breakthroughs, policy shifts – way more variables than just a cycle. But as a long-term lens for understanding market patterns and figuring out the period when to make money? It's a pretty solid historical reference point. The pattern has held up surprisingly well across centuries, even if it's not perfectly predictive.