Just came across this interesting historical theory about market cycles that Samuel Benner developed back in 1875. The guy was basically trying to crack the code on when to make money in financial markets, and honestly, his framework still gets discussed today.

So the theory breaks down periods into three main types. First, there are panic years – think financial crises and market collapses. The pattern suggests these happen roughly every 18-20 years (like 1927, 1945, 1965, 1981, 1999, 2019, and supposedly 2035 coming up). The advice is simple: don't panic sell during these times, just sit tight and be cautious.

Then you've got boom years, which are basically the golden windows for taking profits. Markets recover, prices surge, and it's the right time to actually sell your positions. The list includes years like 1928, 1935, 1943, 1953, 1960, 1968, 1973, 1980, 1989, 1996, 2000, 2007, 2016, 2020, and 2026 is supposedly in this category too.

The third type is recession and decline years – the opposite of boom times. Prices are depressed, the economy's struggling, and this is when you want to be buying. Accumulate stocks, land, commodities, whatever you're targeting. Then just hold and wait for those boom periods to roll around. Recent examples include 2012, 2023, and 2032 is predicted to be rough as well.

The basic strategy from Benner's framework is straightforward: identify the periods when to make money by buying low during recessions, holding through panic years, then selling high when boom arrives. It's a long-term cyclical approach.

Now here's the thing – this is a historical pattern, not gospel. Real markets get thrown off by politics, wars, tech breakthroughs, policy changes, all kinds of variables. But it's a useful lens for thinking about long-term market behavior and understanding the periods when to make money. Whether it perfectly predicts the future is another question entirely, but the cyclical thinking is worth keeping in your mental model.