The takeaway
Citigroup Inc. shows a pronounced seasonal pattern over 10 years of data — strongest in July (+3.3%) and softest in March (−5.9%).
Right now
In July, the stock has risen 90% of years, averaging +3.3%, about +1.2 pts better than the S&P 500.
The full picture
Citigroup Inc.'s most dependable month has been July, higher in 9 of 10 years; March has been its least reliable, up just 30% of the time.
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Month by month
The stock's clearest edge over the S&P 500 lands in November (+5.6 pts); it has trailed the market most in March (−6.9 pts).
“vs S&P” is Citigroup Inc.’s average for a month minus the S&P 500’s average for that same month — isolating Citigroup Inc.’s own seasonal edge from broad market drift.
Reality check
Over the last 5 years, July has closed higher 80% of the time versus 90% across the last 10 years — the pattern is holding.
Figures are the typical (median) July 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. July stands out, higher in 9 of 10 Julys, but it heads a clutch of months that pull the year reliably upward.
A typical July brings +2.1%, a shade under the +3.3% average. It is also the calendar's calmest month, its returns swinging least from year to year (a 4.5% spread), and even its worst July in 10 years lost only 4.1% — the gentlest downside anywhere on its calendar. Crucially, the gain is the stock's own rather than a rising tide's: July has cleared the S&P 500 by +1.2 points above the index. That consistency sets it apart from the field, where the average stock manages July only about 61% of the time.
The strength clusters rather than stands alone — May–July forms a firm stretch that carries much of the year. On the other side of the ledger, March has been the soft spot — the weakest of 3 months that average a loss (−5.9%), and the edge isn't year-round — the stock has trailed the S&P 500 in March, February, and September. Its roughest month on record was a −37.7% March in 2020 — a reminder of how hard even a seasonal name can fall.
Reassuringly, the tendency has held its shape: the recent five years still track the years behind them.
The takeaway is less about when to buy than what to expect: July aside, the stock's months offer little reliable tilt.
Short answers on the stock's best month (July), its worst (March), and whether it really trades seasonally.
Yes, to a pronounced degree. Since 2016 its best month (July, +3.3%) has run well ahead of its worst (March, −5.9%) — the heatmap above shows how steady that gap has been year to year.
July has been the strongest, averaging +3.3% and closing higher in 9 of 10 years since 2016.
It's the weakest, averaging −5.9% — 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