May 4, 2021 May is here, and with the arrival of the fifth month of the year come jitters about the old “sell in May and go away” saying. Indeed, May marks the arrival of what’s been a historically weaker six-month period for equities. “’Sell in May and go away,’ is popular because the May-to-October period is historically the weakest six-month stretch of the year, though May has been positive in seven of the last eight years. Given that the 30% return over the past six months has been among the strongest on record, a pause in the rally would not be unexpected or unhealthy,” says Nationwide’s Mark Hackett.