May stock market history - selling & going away hasn't been smart:
Bottom Line: Even if you're not a stock market investor, you're probably familiar with the old saying "sell in May and go away". As is often the case, conventional wisdom is anything but wise. Here's May's stock market history (using the S&P as the barometer):
- 58% of the time May produces positive returns for stocks
- The average rate of return is +.15%
So May does produce below average rates of return for stocks but most often produces positive results. In fact we're on a four year winning streak for stocks in May. So whatever this May will bring and whatever your considerations might be - you shouldn't make a decision based on an incorrect phrase that's commonly cited to this very day.