The takeaway
iShares Asia 50 ETF shows a moderate seasonal pattern over 10 years of data — strongest in January (+2.8%) and softest in February (−1.5%).
Right now
In July, the fund has risen 60% of years, averaging +1.0%, roughly 1.1 pts behind the S&P 500.
The full picture
iShares Asia 50 ETF's most dependable month has been January, higher in 7 of 10 years; February has been its least reliable, up just 50% of the time.
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
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Month by month
The fund's clearest edge over the S&P 500 lands in January (+3.0 pts); it has trailed the market most in October (−2.1 pts).
“vs S&P” is iShares Asia 50 ETF’s average for a month minus the S&P 500’s average for that same month — isolating iShares Asia 50 ETF’s own seasonal edge from broad market drift.
Reality check
Over the last 5 years, January has closed higher 80% of the time versus 70% across the last 10 years — the pattern is strengthening.
Figures are the typical (median) January return and how often it rose — the last 5 years versus the last 10(the heatmap’s default window). This verdict stays anchored to that 10-year window even if you zoom the chart, so it never disagrees with the badges above.
In plain English
Dependability is the through-line here. January stands out, higher in 7 of 10 Januaries, but it heads a clutch of months that pull the year reliably upward.
Its average (+2.8%) and median (+4.8%) land within a hair of each other — the tell of steady, year-after-year gains rather than one outlier doing the work. Crucially, the gain is the fund's own rather than a rising tide's: January has cleared the S&P 500 by +3.0 points above the index. That consistency sets it apart from the field, where the average stock manages January only about 53% of the time.
A few other months pull their weight: March, June, and July have also closed higher more often than not. The weaker half of the year is plainer: February has been the soft spot — the weakest of 2 months that average a loss (−1.5%), and the edge isn't year-round — the fund has trailed the S&P 500 in October, April, and February. Its roughest month on record was a −14.4% September in 2022 — a reminder of how hard even a seasonal name can fall.
If anything it has sharpened recently — the last five Januaries run ahead of the earlier years.
The takeaway is less about when to buy than what to expect: January aside, the fund's months offer little reliable tilt.
Short answers on the fund's best month (January), its worst (February), and whether it really trades seasonally.
Yes, to a moderate degree. Since 2016 its best month (January, +2.8%) has run well ahead of its worst (February, −1.5%) — the heatmap above shows how steady that gap has been year to year.
January has been the strongest, averaging +2.8% and closing higher in 7 of 10 years since 2016.
It's the weakest, averaging −1.5% — historically a soft spot, though it still varies from year to year.
Explore
These names have the strongest July track records on record — a starting point for comparison.
Before you trade