Is it a sell in May and go away year?

[kgtest]

I know nothing, and have looked at no historical data, beyond the fact it is an old saying... sell in may and go away (from equities)...

Such low volume these days, it's almost...boring. Guess it's time to go enjoy summer after the decent earnings from Q1.

 

[corn18]

I will keep buying like I have always done. In the past, I have always been wrong WRT timing the market. See my sig.

 

[dtbach]

I think that was from the old days before electronic buying/selling and before 24 hour news.

 

[Mdlerth]

My intuition is uncanny... and wrong

Only if I don't.

 

[foxfirev5]

I no longer feel the need to buy or sell. My conservative 40% equity stake allows me the freedom to let it ride for the long run. If the market goes down I've got enough to live nicely. If the market goes up that's OK too.

 

[Dtail]

Not really true anymore. Used to be the traders took off "effectively" for the summer for the Hamptons and such, plus Sept and Oct were historically bad trading months.

 

[kgtest]

I no longer feel the need to buy or sell. My conservative 40% equity stake allows me the freedom to let it ride for the long run. If the market goes down I've got enough to live nicely. If the market goes up that's OK too.

Lol, 40% equities is a long ways away for me. Accumulating. I never did really get that phrase, but now knowing that traders tookoff to the Hampton's for the summer...that makes sense. I all but guarantee you the laptop isn't too far away this year though. Some might even make the trades from the cellular.

 

[Andre1969]

If I sell in May, it WON'T be a "sell in May" year. If I don't sell, then it WILL be.

 

[Nick12]

Buying monthly into diversified index funds regardless of market for last 30 years. Never timed the market but bought like bandits when it's correction time. FIRE'd late last year.

 

[foxfirev5]

Lol, 40% equities is a long ways away for me. Accumulating. I never did really get that phrase, but now knowing that traders tookoff to the Hampton's for the summer...that makes sense. I all but guarantee you the laptop isn't too far away this year though. Some might even make the trades from the cellular.

Yeah the game has changed. I remember that I had to send in a form to sell the rip off funds in the thrift plan (pre 401k). Also the $200 broker fees to sell 100 shares. And now my 4 year old granddaughter has observed, nobody uses a laptop you can do it all on my tablet. And I gladly pass the baton on to the next generation.

 

[steelyman]

I sold some in Feb and Apr. Not because of the month but to bring the specific funds back within their 5% band.

The proceeds will stay in cash in the retirement portfolio until this year’s scheduled withdrawal in December.

I guess the phrase is “take some off the table”.

 

[target2019]

We are traveling in May, and going away. Investments remain invested.

 

[ERD50]

I just read a pretty well done analysis of this (don't have the link), and there was a bit of a half-truth to it. Markets did much better on an annualized average in the Sept-April period than the May-August period.

But.... the May-August period still produced something like 4.5% annualized average gains. So you can "go -away", but where do you go?

-ERD50

 

[corn18]

And there's always a Christmas rally.

 

[audreyh1]

And there's always a Christmas rally.

Just like last year? The Xmas (almost) bear market?

 

[ziggy29]

And there's always a Christmas rally.

Tongue in cheek after last year, yes?

 

[copyright1997reloaded]

I know nothing, and have looked at no historical data, beyond the fact it is an old saying... sell in may and go away (from equities)...

Such low volume these days, it's almost...boring. Guess it's time to go enjoy summer after the decent earnings from Q1.

A boring market usually trends higher.

 

[Oz investor]

i will watch for opportunities ( to add or reduce )

there are some local influences ( a Federal election and some tax selling ) that might move some stocks the correct way for me

but i don't currently need to do much ( but be sensible )

 

[NW-Bound]

And there's always a Christmas rally.

Just like last year? The Xmas (almost) bear market?

Tongue in cheek after last year, yes?

It was so uncanny that the market crashed hard last December, then rebounded strongly after Christmas, in fact before even New Year Day.

I am traveling, but still check on my stash at least every other day. And of course I make some trades as I see fit. Last year in the boondocks of Alaska I missed some chances to make trades. Of course when you have vehicle problem in the middle of nowhere, you don't think of your stocks.

 

[Nick12]

Just like last year? The Xmas (almost) bear market?

Bear markets is when I buy more when others think the sky is falling. Made quite a profit in the last few months to increase my net worth.

 

[audreyh1]

Bear markets is when I buy more when others think the sky is falling. Made quite a profit in the last few months to increase my net worth.

Our end of year rebalancing worked out quite well. I had so much needed to reinvest in stocks that I started the process a week early. Retirement fund up over 10% YTD after withdrawals.

 

[targatom2019]

well, I just sold 28 of my 30 stocks this morning and my last working day is July 5th, 2019 ! I sold 28 stocks just to lock in the gains and not wanting to deal with 30 individual stocks anymore. This $$$ will go into just 3 fund portfolio with Fidelity.

 

[W2R]

I no longer try to make prophecies about the market, or if I do, I don't let my financial situation in retirement depend upon them.

I have a conservative AA, mostly consisting of broad index mutual funds in Boglehead-ish style (plus 30% Wellesley because I just have always loved Wellesley). I don't buy or sell during the year. During the first week in January, I rebalance. It's not the first week in January, last I checked.

We all know that the market goes up and down always, like a roller coaster. Trying to predict these short term movements is not profitable for small investors AFAIK. But profiting overall from investing over decades seems to be much easier to do.

Today my combined investments and bank accounts total the highest they have ever been in my entire life. The total keeps going up and up and up and up. So, I am pretty happy about that. I know that what goes up must come down at some point but I will be fine.

 

[SecondCor521]

[W****]

Aaargh! Now I have to sell everything!

OP:

The Patriots won the Super Bowl this year, and they're in the AFC. Hemlines are going up. Butter production in Bangladesh is down. So the answer to your question is definitely maybe.

 

[joeea]

Sell the stock market in May and go away? Not so fast, say experts

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/s...t-say-experts-2019-04-30?mod=mw_theo_homepage

"“Sell in May and go away,” — a widely followed axiom, based on the average historical underperformance of stock markets in the six months starting from May to the end of October, compared against returns in the November-to-April stretch — on average has held true, but it’s had a spotty record over the past several years."