--- title: Sell in May and Go Away? - Burney Investment Management description: One of the oldest and longest lasting Wall Street adages goes sell in May and go away. Proponents of this strategy argue for going to cash in May, skipping the summer months altogether before buying back in October. The adage gained popularity of late due to the subpar summer returns during the 2000s. This may ... --- [Skip to content](https://burneyinvest.com/blog/blog/sell-in-may-no-way#main-content) [![Burney Investment Management](https://burneyinvest.com/hs-fs/hubfs/theme/Burney_Invest_Color_Horizontal_%232b.png?width=300&height=110&name=Burney_Invest_Color_Horizontal_%232b.png "Burney Investment Management")](https://burneyinvest.com/) - About - [Company Overview](https://burneyinvest.com/about) - [Burney Difference](https://burneyinvest.com/the-burney-difference) - Strategies - [Size & Style Responsive](https://burneyinvest.com/strategies/size-style-responsive-ssr/) - [The Burney Master Portfolio](https://burneyinvest.com/strategies/the-burney-master-portfolio/) - [Personalized Portfolios](https://burneyinvest.com/strategies/personalized-portfolios/) - [Stock Selection](https://burneyinvest.com/strategies/stock-selection/) - [Team](https://burneyinvest.com/team) - [Resources](https://burneyinvest.com/blog) - [Get In Touch](https://burneyinvest.com/contact) 5.6.2015 # Sell in May and Go Away? [Andy Pratt, CFA](https://burneyinvest.com/blog/author/andy-pratt-cfa) ![](https://20453469.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/20453469/Theme/dots_y4.svg) ##### Popular Posts [How to Read VIX and VIX Term Structure](https://burneyinvest.com/blog/how-to-read-vix-and-vix-term-spread) [What Happened in the Stock Market Yesterday?](https://burneyinvest.com/blog/what-happened-in-the-stock-market-yesterday) [Performance Matters - 7 Steps Toward More Effective Investing](https://burneyinvest.com/blog/performance-matters-7-steps-toward-more-effective-investing) One of the oldest and longest lasting Wall Street adages goes *sell in May and go away*. Proponents of this strategy argue for going to cash in May, skipping the summer months altogether before buying back in October. The adage gained popularity of late due to the subpar summer returns during the 2000s. ![Monthly Returns 2000 2014](https://static.hsstatic.net/BlogImporterAssetsUI/ex/missing-image.png) This may seem like compelling evidence but an investor employing this strategy sacrificed 6.1% annually since the Financial Crisis ended. This result is consistent with [other studies](http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-05-05/barclays-has-three-reasons-investors-should-not-sell-in-may-and-go-away-this-year) that show positive – if weaker – historical returns from May to October. ![Monthly Returns 2009 2014](https://static.hsstatic.net/BlogImporterAssetsUI/ex/missing-image.png) There may be times when *Sell in May* works but like other market timing strategies and [as we found in 2012](https://www.burney.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Sell_in_May_Go_Away.pdf), the results do not hold over time. If two investors invested $1,000 in the S&P 500 in 1990 but one of them went to cash from May to October and the other stayed the course, the investor who stayed the course would be $3,919 richer at the end of 2014. ![Sell In May Stay The Course](https://static.hsstatic.net/BlogImporterAssetsUI/ex/missing-image.png) No one knows which direction the market is going to go this summer but history shows that the patient investor who keeps her money in the market wins out in the long run. --- *The Burney Company is an SEC-registered investment adviser. Burney Wealth Management is a division of the Burney Company. Registration with the SEC or any state securities authority does not imply that Burney Company or any of its principals or employees possesses a particular level of skill or training in the investment advisory business or any other business. Burney Company does not provide legal, tax, or accounting advice, but offers it through third parties. Before making any financial decisions, clients should consult their legal and/or tax advisors.* ## Articles you may enjoy 02.10.15 #### [A Bullish Pattern for Stocks](https://burneyinvest.com/blog/bullish-pattern-for-stocks) [![](https://20453469.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/20453469/Theme/circle_right.svg)](https://burneyinvest.com/blog/bullish-pattern-for-stocks) 12.24.15 #### [Is Santa (Rally) Real?](https://burneyinvest.com/blog/is-santa-rally-real) [![](https://20453469.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/20453469/Theme/circle_right.svg)](https://burneyinvest.com/blog/is-santa-rally-real) 01.11.17 #### [December Market Commentary](https://burneyinvest.com/blog/december-market-commentary) [![](https://20453469.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/20453469/Theme/circle_right.svg)](https://burneyinvest.com/blog/december-market-commentary) ![](https://burneyinvest.com/hubfs/theme/burney-invest-logo-white-1-1.png) - [Size & Style Responsive](https://burneyinvest.com/strategies/size-style-responsive-ssr/) - [Burney Master Portfolio](https://burneyinvest.com/strategies/the-burney-master-portfolio/) - [Personalized Portfolios](https://burneyinvest.com/strategies/personalized-portfolios/) - [Stock Selection](https://burneyinvest.com/strategies/stock-selection/) - [About](https://burneyinvest.com/about) - [Team](https://burneyinvest.com/team) - [Resources](https://burneyinvest.com/blog) - [Contact](https://burneyinvest.com/contact) **Headquarters** 1800 Alexander Bell Dr. STE 510 Reston, VA 20191 Advisory services are offered through the Burney Company, an investment advisor registered with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission. SEC registration does not constitute an endorsement of the firm by the Commission nor does it indicate that the advisor has attained a particular level of skill or ability. © 2026 Burney Wealth Management | [Research](https://burneyinvest.com/research) | [Privacy Statement](https://burneyinvest.com/privacy-policy) | [Terms & Conditions](https://burneyinvest.com/terms-and-conditions) | [Disclosures](https://burneyinvest.com/disclosures) | [ADV](https://44214779.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/44214779/Burney%20Company%20ADV%20Part%202A%20IM%2026%20REV.pdf) | [Form CRS (ADV Part 3)](https://44214779.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/44214779/Burney%20Company%20Form%20CRS_March%202026.pdf) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Andy Pratt, CFA", "url" : "https://burneyinvest.com/blog/author/andy-pratt-cfa" }, "dateModified" : "2024-04-29T14:10:07.186Z", "datePublished" : "2015-05-06T20:38:33.000Z", "headline" : "Sell in May and Go Away? - Burney Investment Management", "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://burneyinvest.com/blog/blog/sell-in-may-no-way", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://burneyinvest.com/hubfs/theme/Burney_Invest_Color_Horizontal_%232b.png" } } } ```