A bitcoin (BTC) breakout earlier this week has traders eyeing the $100,000 level successful the coming days, a euphoric commercialized that could beryllium short-lived arsenic May’s seasonality approaches.
“Historically, the adjacent mates of months person been anemic for fiscal markets, with galore investors abiding by the Sell successful May and Walk Away adage,” Jeff Mei, COO astatine BTSE, told CoinDesk successful a Telegram message.
“That being said, markets person importantly underperformed implicit the past fewer months, but this twelvemonth could subordinate the trend, with Bitcoin hitting $97K and different maturation stocks coming backmost implicit the past fewer weeks. This past week's anemic GDP numbers coming retired of the US bespeak immoderate risk, arsenic different study of antagonistic GDP maturation adjacent 4th would bespeak a recession, but complaint cuts could pb to a rebound arsenic well,” Mei added.
The adage “Sell successful May and spell away” is simply a long-standing seasonal saying successful accepted fiscal markets.
It suggests that investors should merchantability their holdings astatine the opening of May and instrumentality to the marketplace astir November, based connected the content that equity markets underperform during the summertime owed to little trading volumes, reduced organization activity, and humanities returns data.
The operation dates backmost to the aboriginal days of London Stock Exchange and was primitively “Sell successful May and spell away, travel backmost connected St. Leger’s Day,” referencing a mid-September equine race.
What information shows
Historically, U.S. banal markets person shown weaker show from May done October than from November done April, starring to the strategy becoming a seasonal rule-of-thumb for immoderate investors.
Bitcoin besides shows recurring seasonal patterns, often influenced by macro cycles, organization flows, and retail sentiment. CoinGlass data amusement the asset’s May show has been antagonistic oregon muted recently.
In 2021, BTC dropped 35%, 1 of its worst months that year. In 2022, May was again negative, with a 15% driblet amid Luna’s collapse. In 2023, BTC was level to mildly positive, reflecting muted volatility.BTC popped up 11% past May and ended May 2019 up 52% — a standout show from each months pursuing 2018, erstwhile crypto markets are mostly thought to person matured aft that year’s altcoin cycle.
Red May months are followed by much declines successful June, the information shows, with 4 of the past 5 June months ending successful red.

These patterns don’t warrant aboriginal performance, they suggest that crypto markets whitethorn beryllium progressively reacting to the aforesaid macro and seasonal sentiment arsenic equities, particularly arsenic much organization superior enters the space.
Sign of caution?
Traders whitethorn turn cautious based connected humanities terms seasonality and fading momentum aft beardown Q1 rallies. Altcoins, particularly meme coins, whitethorn beryllium peculiarly susceptible to pullbacks, fixed their caller hype-driven rallies and speculative flows.
“Since 1950, the S&P 500 has delivered an mean summation of conscionable 1.8% from May done October, with affirmative returns successful astir 65% of those six-month periods—well beneath the stronger show seen from November done April,” Vugar Usi Zade, COO astatine crypto speech Bitget, told CoinDesk successful a Telegram message.
Over the past 12 years, mean Q2 returns (April–June) for BTC person stood astatine 26%, but with a median of lone 7.5% — a motion of outlier-driven show and recurring volatility.
By Q3 (July–September), the mean instrumentality drops to 6%, and the median turns somewhat negative, suggesting a signifier of post-Q2 fatigue oregon consolidation, Zade added, citing data.
“This seasonality overlap suggests caution heading into May. Historically, Q4 marks Bitcoin’s strongest seasonal period, with an mean instrumentality of +85.4% and a median of +52.3%, whereas Q3 tends to present much muted oregon antagonistic outcomes,” Zade said.
In short, portion Wall Street calendars don’t hindrance crypto, marketplace science inactive responds to narratives, and “Sell successful May” could go a self-fulfilling prophecy — particularly if technicals commencement to ace and sentiment flips.