The takeaway
Schwab Fundamental U.S. Small Company Index ETF shows a moderate seasonal pattern over 10 years of data — strongest in July (+3.3%) and softest in October (−0.2%).
Right now
In July, the fund has risen 90% of years, averaging +3.3%, about +1.2 pts better than the S&P 500.
The full picture
Schwab Fundamental U.S. Small Company Index ETF's most dependable month has been July, higher in 9 of 10 years; October has been its least reliable, up just 40% of the time.
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Month by month
The fund's clearest edge over the S&P 500 lands in November (+3.0 pts); it has trailed the market most in March (−3.6 pts).
“vs S&P” is Schwab Fundamental U.S. Small Company Index ETF’s average for a month minus the S&P 500’s average for that same month — isolating Schwab Fundamental U.S. Small Company Index ETF’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 strengthening.
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.
Its average (+3.3%) and median (+3.1%) land within a hair of each other — the tell of steady, year-after-year gains rather than one outlier doing the work. It is among its calmest months, too, its returns swinging least from year to year (a 4.0% spread), and even its worst July in 10 years lost only 3.5% — the gentlest downside anywhere on its calendar. Crucially, the gain is the fund'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 — April–August forms a firm stretch that carries much of the year. The weaker half of the year is plainer: October 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 March, October, and September. Its roughest month on record was a −27.3% March in 2020 — a reminder of how hard even a seasonal name can fall.
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.
Short answers on the fund's best month (July), its worst (October), and whether it really trades seasonally.
Yes, to a moderate degree. Since 2016 its best month (July, +3.3%) has run well ahead of its worst (October, −0.2%) — 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 −0.2% — 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