The Lab
January 8, 2026

Seasonality Tool

Which Months Are Best (and Worst) for the Stocks You Trade?

The Seasonality tool displays historical monthly return patterns for any stock or ETF, including both the median and average performance for each calendar month over multiple years.

Many traders observe that certain months or periods tend to be stronger or weaker than others for specific securities. While anecdotal observations such as weak September performance or strength in November are common, these patterns are often discussed without being systematically measured against the actual historical data for the instruments being traded.

This tool provides a structured view of seasonal tendencies by quantifying average and median returns by month, helping traders evaluate whether observed patterns hold up when examined across a stock or ETF's full history.

What the Tool Shows You

Visual

Monthly Bar Chart

Displays a bar chart of average or median returns for each calendar month, with positive months shown in green and negative months in red for quick visual interpretation.

Detail

Year-by-Month Heatmap

Provides a detailed heatmap where each row represents a year and each column represents a month. The color scale (green to red) shows performance, along with yearly totals to help assess consistency over time.

Modes

Median vs Average Toggle

Allows you to switch between median and average returns in both the bar chart and heatmap views. This helps distinguish between typical performance and results that may be skewed by outliers.

Scan

Market-Wide Heatmap

Offers a broad view that displays seasonality across an entire watchlist. This makes it easy to compare seasonal profiles across multiple names at once.

How Traders are using the Seasonality Tool

1

Review Monthly Patterns

Select a ticker to see which months have historically delivered stronger or weaker average and median returns. This provides a high-level view of potential seasonal biases.

2

Assess Consistency Across Years

Use the year-by-month heatmap to evaluate whether a month's historical edge has been consistent over time or driven primarily by one or two outlier years.

3

Align Holding Periods with Seasonality

When planning a monthly holding period, check whether the relevant months have historically been favorable or unfavorable for the stock. This helps set more realistic expectations for the trade.

4

Compare Seasonality Across Multiple Names

Review seasonal profiles across a watchlist or group of tickers to identify which securities have the most favorable historical patterns for the current season.

Check which months your favorite stock trades best

Open Seasonality Tool

Get in Touch

We welcome inquiries from traders, investors, institutions and affiliates
interested in learning more about our tools.