The takeaway
iShares MSCI Hong Kong ETF shows a moderate seasonal pattern over 10 years of data — strongest in January (+0.3%) and softest in October (−2.9%).
Right now
In July, the fund has risen 50% of years, averaging +0.7%, roughly 1.5 pts behind the S&P 500.
The full picture
iShares MSCI Hong Kong ETF's most dependable month has been January, higher in 7 of 10 years; October has been its least reliable, up just 20% 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 February (+1.0 pts); it has trailed the market most in October (−4.0 pts).
“vs S&P” is iShares MSCI Hong Kong ETF’s average for a month minus the S&P 500’s average for that same month — isolating iShares MSCI Hong Kong 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
This is a fund you can almost set a calendar by, and January is the anchor — it has closed higher in 7 of 10 Januaries, the steadiest beat on its year.
The strength looks broad-based rather than freakish: its average (+0.3%) and median (+1.3%) sit close together, so no single blow-out year is flattering the figure. Better still, that strength is the fund's own and not just a buoyant market — January has outpaced the S&P 500 by +0.5 points on average. Few peers keep such company in January — the typical stock clears it just 53% of the time.
January anchors a run, too: the November-through-February window has been the fund's reliable season. At the other end of the calendar, October has been the soft spot — the weakest of 3 months that average a loss (−2.9%), and the edge isn't year-round — the fund has trailed the S&P 500 in October, March, and July. Its roughest month on record was a −13.0% October 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.
For a fund this dependable in January, the sharper question is the rest of the year — outside its strong stretch, the calendar gives far less to lean on.
Short answers on the fund's best month (January), its worst (October), and whether it really trades seasonally.
Yes, to a moderate degree. Since 2016 its best month (January, +0.3%) has run well ahead of its worst (October, −2.9%) — the heatmap above shows how steady that gap has been year to year.
January has been the strongest, averaging +0.3% and closing higher in 7 of 10 years since 2016.
It's the weakest, averaging −2.9% — 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.
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