The takeaway
Fidelity® High Yield Factor ETF shows a slight seasonal lean over 8 years of data — strongest in July (+2.0%) and softest in March (−1.0%).
Right now
In July, the fund has risen 88% of years, averaging +2.0% — essentially in line with the S&P 500.
The full picture
Fidelity® High Yield Factor ETF's most dependable month has been July, higher in 7 of 8 years; March has been its least reliable, up just 43% of the time.
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
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| 2018 | — | — | — | — | — |
Month by month
The fund's clearest edge over the S&P 500 lands in January (+1.1 pts); it has trailed the market most in March (−2.0 pts).
“vs S&P” is Fidelity® High Yield Factor ETF’s average for a month minus the S&P 500’s average for that same month — isolating Fidelity® High Yield Factor ETF’s own seasonal edge from broad market drift.
Reality check
Over the last 5 years, July has closed higher 100% of the time versus 88% across the last 8 years — the pattern is strengthening.
Figures are the typical (median) July return and how often it rose — the last 5 years versus the last 8(the heatmap’s default window). This verdict stays anchored to that 8-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 7 of 8 Julys, but it heads a clutch of months that pull the year reliably upward.
Its average (+2.0%) and median (+1.2%) land within a hair of each other — the tell of steady, year-after-year gains rather than one outlier doing the work. Set against the S&P 500, mind, July is close to a wash — the gain mirrors the market more than it beats it. 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–August forms a firm stretch that carries much of the year. At the other end of the calendar, March has been the soft spot — the only month to average an outright loss (−1.0%), and the edge isn't year-round — the fund has trailed the S&P 500 in March, April, and October.
July has now closed higher 6 years running. If anything it has sharpened recently — the last five Julys run ahead of the earlier years.
The takeaway is less about when to buy than what to expect: July aside, the fund's months offer little reliable tilt. With a short 8-year record, the signal is best held loosely.
Short answers on the fund's best month (July), its worst (March), and whether it really trades seasonally.
Only mildly. The fund's months are fairly even — July is the firmest (+2.0%) and March the softest (−1.0%), a narrow spread that points to weak seasonality rather than a strong calendar effect.
July has been the strongest, averaging +2.0% and closing higher in 7 of 8 years since 2018.
It's the weakest, averaging −1.0% — 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