Imagine holding a map in your hands. Not an ordinary road map but a map of time.
A map that tells you when the markets will crash, when they will surge, and most importantly, when you should act.
This map exists.
And the most amazing thing? It wasn’t made by some modern hedge fund manager with supercomputers and AI algorithms. It wasmade by a farmer over a century ago, and the data proves it time and time again.
This article is the complete analysis of this chart. If you’re a beginner and don’t know anything about investing, stocks, or business cycles, great.
This article was written just for you. By the end, you’ll understand something that most people never learn in their lives.
What you really need is to understand how the economy moves in cycles. And once you understand that, suddenly you start to see opportunity where others only see chaos.
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What is Periods When to Make Money?
In a nutshell, “Periods when to make money” refers to the Benner Cycle. It is a chart created in 1875 by an American farmer, Samuel Benner, and it states the following:
- Markets are cyclical: Benner observed that commodity prices and economic crises follow repeating patterns (based on years).
- When to buy (Zone C): The chart shows periods of “low prices” (like 2023), when it is theoretically a good time to buy and hold assets.
- When to sell (Zone B): It shows periods of great prosperity and high prices, when it is the time to sell before the fall.
- When a crisis is coming (Zone A): It predicts periods of panic, recession or stock market crashes.
Market Cycles: Why They Happen
Before we get into our main topic, we need to understand something basic:
The economy doesn’t move in a straight line. It moves in cycles.
Think of it like the sun rising and setting every day. Or like the seasons, winter, spring, summer, fall. They don’t change because something “went wrong.” They change because that’s how the system works.
The same goes for the economy. It has its seasons:
Spring (Recovery): After a crisis, prices are low. Few dare to buy. Those who dare, gain the most.
Summer (Prosperity): The economy is booming. Everyone is optimistic. The news is good. Prices are rising.
Fall (Peak): Prices reach their highest point. Everyone is talking about how much they gained. This is the time for the smart ones to start selling.
Winter (Crisis/Panic): The bubble bursts. Panic. Everyone sells. Prices fall to the floor. And this is the new buying opportunity for the next cycle.
This cycle repeats itself. Always. Without exception. Since the beginning of human history.
Line A: The Panic Years
The image marks specific years as panic years:
1927 · 1945 · 1965 · 1981 · 1999 · 2019 · 2035 · 2053
Let’s look at what happened in each of them and what it means for us.
1927: The Great Depression Premonition
1927 was not the Great Crash of 1929, but it was a harbinger of it. The markets were at their peak. The euphoria was so great that even taxi drivers were giving stock advice. You know what happened next.
1945 The End of the War, the Beginning of a New Cycle
1945 marks the end of World War II. It seems paradoxical to speak of “panic” in a year of victory, but the truth is that the transition from a war economy to a peace economy always creates enormous uncertainties. Millions of soldiers were returning home. Industries had to be reorganized. This was a year of great instability and great opportunity.
1965 The End of the Gilded Age.
In the 1960s, the United States was experiencing a period of unprecedented prosperity. But in 1965, the first signs of fatigue began to appear. The Vietnam War was escalating, inflation was knocking on the door, and the markets were starting to get nervous. This instability lasted for almost two decades.
1981 The Year of the Greatest Opportunity of the 20th Century
1981 is a year that many economists cite as the greatest buying opportunity of the 20th century. Inflation was at its peak (nearly 14% in the US). Interest rates were at 20%. The world was in a panic. Stocks, real estate, bonds were all at multi-year lows.
Those who bought in 1981-1982? They experienced the greatest bull market in history, which lasted almost 20 years.
1999 The Dotcom Bubble
Here we have an interesting paradox. 1999 was a time of crazy euphoria, not panic in the traditional sense. But the picture marks it as a time of panic because it was the peak of a huge bubble. Anyone who understood the logic and sold in 1999-2000 escaped the subsequent collapse. The Nasdaq lost 78% of its value in the next two years.
2019 And Here Comes 2020…
2019 is marked as a time of panic and if you look at what followed, you already understood. In 2020 came the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused the fastest stock market crash in history. In 33 days, the market lost 34% of its value. Those who understood the cycle and bought in the panic of March 2020? They saw their portfolios triple in 18 months.
2035 and 2053 What the Future Tells Us
The picture also makes predictions for the future. 2035 and 2053 are marked as the next years of panic. No one can say for sure what will happen but history says that some great upheaval will occur. And now you know what to do when it comes.
Personally, I told AI to make me two images of what it believes will happen and it made me these here.. in 2053 I hope the image will be on Earth.
Line B The Years of Prosperity (When to Sell)
Line B marks the years of good times, high prices, and the crucial time to sell stocks and securities of all kinds.
These years include: 1926, 1935, 1945, 1953, 1962, 1972, 1980, 1989, 1999, 2007, 2016, 2026, 2034, 2042, 2053…
What do these years have in common? They were market peaks, points where prices were at their highest, optimism was at its highest, and the “smart” money was slowly starting to pull out of the market.
Why It’s Hard to Sell at High Prices
Here lies the biggest pitfall for investors. When everything is going well, your logic says, “Why sell now? It’s going to go up even higher!”
And it may go up. For a while longer. But no one can catch the exact top. What you can do is sell when prices are high, not necessarily at the exact high, but close to it.
A quote from Warren Buffett sums up this logic: “Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful.”
That’s exactly what Line B says.
The Signs That Say “Sell Now”
How do you know you’re in Line B?
There are some classic signs:
Your taxi driver talks to you about stocks. Your grandma has opened an account on a trading app. Newspaper headlines are full of stories of people getting rich.
Properties are selling at record prices and in a matter of days. Your friend tells you about a “sure thing” investment.
When you see these signs: Start thinking about getting out.
PART FOUR: Line C: The Hard Years (The Golden Rule of Markets)
And now we come to the most important part of the picture.
Line C says: “Years of hard times, low prices, and a good time to buy stocks, real estate, goods, etc. Hold them until the good times come. Then get rid of them.”
These years include: 1924, 1931, 1942, 1951, 1958, 1969, 1978, 1985, 1996, 2005, 2012, 2023, 2032, 2039, 2050, 2059…
These are the years that the majority fear. The news is bad. People talk about doom. Nobody wants to buy anything.
And this is exactly the opportunity.
The Wealth Creation Paradox
Here lies one of the greatest paradoxes in economic history:
Wealth is not created in good times. It is created in bad times.
Or more accurately: wealth is transferred from those who panic in bad times to those who have the nerve to buy.
Think of it this way: If you buy a stock at $10 and sell it at $50, you made $40. But someone else sold it at $10 at a loss because they panicked. They gave you their money.
That’s how the market works.
Enough of the theory.
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How to Apply This Knowledge Today
Let’s talk about what you’re doing now.
Understand Where We Are
2023 is marked as a Line C m time, meaning tough times with good buying opportunities. And indeed, after the crisis of 2022 (war in Ukraine, energy crisis, inflation), many markets saw corrections.
2026 is marked as a Line B time of prosperity and high prices. If this is true, it means that we are in a period where prices are approaching their highs.
Warning: This is not financial advice. It is a historical observation. Always consult a professional before making investment decisions.
Learn to Read the Signs
You don’t need an economist to see the main signs. There are a few simple questions you can ask yourself:
- Are your friends constantly talking about investing? (A sign of a peak)
- Is the economic news full of pessimism? (A sign of a bottom)
- Are properties selling in record time? (A sign of a peak)
- Are businesses closing around you? (A sign of a bottom, but also of an opportunity)
Time Is Your Friend, If You Know How to Read It
The “Periods When to Make Money” chart is not magic. It is not an oracle. It is a simplified recording of a pattern that has repeated itself over and over in human history.
This knowledge does not guarantee profits. But it does give you something valuable: context. It enables you to not panic when the markets are falling, and not get carried away by the euphoria when they are rising.
And these two abilities to withstand panic and resist the collective euphoria are the rarest and most valuable skills an investor can have.
As the great investor Charlie Munger used to say: “Reverse everything.” If you want to know when to buy, watch when others are selling.
If you want to know when to sell, watch when others are buying with euphoria.
The image has been telling us this for over a century.
Perhaps it is time to listen to it.
Note: This article is for educational purposes only. It does not constitute investment advice. Please consult a licensed financial advisor before making any investment decisions.
