The takeaway
First Trust TCW Opportunistic Fixed Income ETF shows a slight seasonal lean over 9 years of data — strongest in November (+1.3%) and softest in October (−0.8%).
Right now
In July, the fund has risen 89% of years, averaging +1.0%, roughly 1.2 pts behind the S&P 500.
The full picture
First Trust TCW Opportunistic Fixed Income ETF's most dependable month has been November, higher in 8 of 9 years; October has been its least reliable, up just 33% of the time.
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Month by month
The fund's clearest edge over the S&P 500 lands in January (+0.7 pts); it has trailed the market most in April (−2.0 pts).
“vs S&P” is First Trust TCW Opportunistic Fixed Income ETF’s average for a month minus the S&P 500’s average for that same month — isolating First Trust TCW Opportunistic Fixed Income ETF’s own seasonal edge from broad market drift.
Reality check
Over the last 5 years, November has closed higher 100% of the time versus 89% across the last 9 years — the pattern is strengthening.
Figures are the typical (median) November return and how often it rose — the last 5 years versus the last 9(the heatmap’s default window). This verdict stays anchored to that 9-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. November stands out, higher in 8 of 9 Novembers, but it heads a clutch of months that pull the year reliably upward.
Its average (+1.3%) and median (+0.8%) land within a hair of each other — the tell of steady, year-after-year gains rather than one outlier doing the work. That consistency sets it apart from the field, where the average stock manages November only about 62% of the time.
The strength clusters rather than stands alone — November–January forms a firm stretch that carries much of the year. On the other side of the ledger, October has been the soft spot — the weakest of 2 months that average a loss (−0.8%), and the edge isn't year-round — the fund has trailed the S&P 500 in April, October, and July.
November has now closed higher 8 years running. If anything it has sharpened recently — the last five Novembers run ahead of the earlier years.
The takeaway is less about when to buy than what to expect: November aside, the fund's months offer little reliable tilt. With a short 9-year record, the signal is best held loosely.
Short answers on the fund's best month (November), its worst (October), and whether it really trades seasonally.
Only mildly. The fund's months are fairly even — November is the firmest (+1.3%) and October the softest (−0.8%), a narrow spread that points to weak seasonality rather than a strong calendar effect.
November has been the strongest, averaging +1.3% and closing higher in 8 of 9 years since 2017.
It's the weakest, averaging −0.8% — 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