The takeaway
iMGP DBi Managed Futures Strategy ETF shows a moderate seasonal pattern over 7 years of data — strongest in April (+3.1%) and softest in July (−0.5%).
Right now
In July, the fund has fallen 29% of years, averaging −0.5%, roughly 2.6 pts behind the S&P 500.
The full picture
iMGP DBi Managed Futures Strategy ETF's most dependable month has been April, higher in 5 of 6 years; July has been its least reliable, up just 29% of the time.
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
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| 2025 | ||||||||||||
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| 2020 | ||||||||||||
| 2019 | — | — | — | — |
Month by month
The fund's clearest edge over the S&P 500 lands in April (+1.4 pts); it has trailed the market most in November (−3.9 pts).
“vs S&P” is iMGP DBi Managed Futures Strategy ETF’s average for a month minus the S&P 500’s average for that same month — isolating iMGP DBi Managed Futures Strategy ETF’s own seasonal edge from broad market drift.
Reality check
Over the last 5 years, April has closed higher 80% of the time versus 83% across the last 7 years — the pattern is holding.
Figures are the typical (median) April return and how often it rose — the last 5 years versus the last 7(the heatmap’s default window). This verdict stays anchored to that 7-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. April stands out, higher in 5 of 6 Aprils, but it heads a clutch of months that pull the year reliably upward.
Its average (+3.1%) and median (+2.1%) 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: April has cleared the S&P 500 by +1.4 points above the index. That consistency sets it apart from the field, where the average stock manages April only about 55% of the time.
A few other months pull their weight: February, June, and December have also closed higher more often than not. At the other end of the calendar, July is the year's quietest corner, essentially flat on average, and the edge isn't year-round — the fund has trailed the S&P 500 in November, July, and May.
A long streak recently broke — April had risen 5 years straight before a −0.2% reading in 2025. 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: April aside, the fund's months offer little reliable tilt. With a short 7-year record, the signal is best held loosely.
Short answers on the fund's best month (April), its worst (July), and whether it really trades seasonally.
Yes, to a moderate degree. Since 2019 its best month (April, +3.1%) has run well ahead of its worst (July, −0.5%) — the heatmap above shows how steady that gap has been year to year.
April has been the strongest, averaging +3.1% and closing higher in 5 of 6 years since 2019.
It's the weakest, averaging −0.5% — 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