Is it a good or bad time to buy stocks right now?

Buying stocks right now is a great decision for long-term investors. While the stock market fluctuates up and down over the short run, it's consistently increased in value over the long run. There's no better time to invest than right now.

What is the 11 a.m. rule in trading?

The 11 a.m. rule states that if a market trend hasn't reversed by 11 a.m. ET, it's unlikely to reverse that day. The rule is based on historic trading patterns. The 11 a.m. rule is only pertinent to day traders. Long-term buy-and-hold investors don't need to concern themselves with the time of day they buy shares.

Is now a good time to invest in the stock market?

Now is as good a time as any to invest in the stock market. Long-term investors with a horizon of years, not days or weeks, will do better to invest their money as soon as they can. The adage "time in the market beats timing the market" is true. Over long periods of time, stocks appreciate faster than inflation.

What are the best months to buy stocks?

The best months to buy stocks are all of them. Waiting for a certain month to buy stocks when you have cash to buy shares now is a losing decision. You're more likely to miss out on gains than you are to take losses if you invest today.

Should I Buy Stock Now or Wait?

There are no easy answers since predicting short-term market movements is impossible.

By Adam Levy – Updated Oct 29, 2025 at 9:23 AM EST | Fact-checked by Margo Winton Parodi

Key Points

Investing consistently is a better bet for long-term gains than trying to time the market.
For long-term investors, there's no particular time, day, or month that is better than another for investing.
Focus on finding undervalued securities, and invest in them when you do rather than waiting for a particular moment.

Putting money into the stock market can strike fear in some would-be investors. Nobody wants to end up buying right when prices peak. Investing amid a market downturn can be even more gut-wrenching. It's impossible to know whether the worst is over or more losses are yet to come.

So, how do you evaluate when to buy stocks and when to wait for a pullback in the market? The best answer is that you don't. Both passive index fund investors and individual stock investors will likely be better off consistently buying shares and ignoring the daily ups and downs of the market.

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An infographic explaining when it is a good time to buy stocks. — Image source: The Motley Fool.

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Cash Flow

Cash flow is how we measure the actual money flowing through a business that can sometimes be hidden behind complexities.

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If you invest consistently over time -- putting more cash into your investments every month or so -- you'll end up catching a correction or a stock market crash on occasion. Those are opportunities to invest even more than usual if you can swing the cash flow.

Of course, it's not particularly feasible to plan for the unpredictable. If the market could predict a crash in stock prices, a crash would never actually occur.

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If there's a stock with a good price, it's worth buying. Even if it decreases in the short run, trust the research you've done to produce long-term gains. But don't ignore the company entirely. Consistently check your investment thesis to make sure it's still valid.

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Investment Thesis

Learn about what an investment thesis is and how to create one alongside a few examples of an investment thesis.

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CBOE Volatility Index (VIX)

The Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index, or VIX, is an index that gauges the volatility investors expect in the stock market.

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It's important to know that day trading and investing are two very different things. Investing is when you buy shares in a company. If the company performs better than anticipated, investors are rewarded with outsize appreciation in their shares.

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Day trading is when you buy and sell stocks on the same day without regard for the underlying fundamentals of a company. Both can be profitable, but it's very difficult to become a profitable day trader. It's much easier to become a good investor.

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Monday Effect

The Monday Effect is a theory in finance that the prevailing trends in the stock market on Friday will continue into Monday.

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But the Monday Effect, or Weekend Effect, as it's also known, has faded to nonexistence over the past 45 years. According to a study by Arizona State University researchers, stock market performance on Mondays has not differed significantly from any other day since 1975. So, go ahead and buy stocks whenever you have the cash.

The corollary of the nonexistent Monday Effect is that there's no best day to sell stock, either. People used to suggest selling on Friday to avoid the probabilistic bad day on Monday, but that strategy doesn't make sense in today's market.

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Buying stock FAQ

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About the Author

Adam Levy is a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst covering technology, consumer, and financial stocks and how policy, economic, and consumer trends shape personal finance, Social Security and retirement savings. Before The Motley Fool, Adam was a financial advisor at Edward Jones. He studied finance and electrical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University.

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Should I Buy Stock Now or Wait?

There are no easy answers since predicting short-term market movements is impossible.