The takeaway
AB Disruptors ETF shows a pronounced seasonal pattern over 3 years of data — strongest in May (+8.4%) and softest in April (−1.8%).
Right now
In July, the fund has risen 67% of years, averaging +2.6% — essentially in line with the S&P 500.
The full picture
AB Disruptors ETF's most dependable month has been May, higher in 3 of 3 years; April has been its least reliable, up just 33% of the time.
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win rate % | ||||||||||||
| Median return % | ||||||||||||
| 2025 | ||||||||||||
| 2024 | ||||||||||||
| 2023 | — | — |
Month by month
The fund's clearest edge over the S&P 500 lands in May (+7.7 pts); it has trailed the market most in April (−3.5 pts).
“vs S&P” is AB Disruptors ETF’s average for a month minus the S&P 500’s average for that same month — isolating AB Disruptors ETF’s own seasonal edge from broad market drift.
Reality check
Over the last 3 years, May has closed higher 100% of the time versus 100% across the last 3 years — the pattern is holding.
Figures are the typical (median) May return and how often it rose — the last 3 years versus the last 3(the heatmap’s default window). This verdict stays anchored to that 3-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. May stands out, higher in all 3 Mays, but it heads a clutch of months that pull the year reliably upward.
Its average (+8.4%) and median (+8.0%) 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 1.2% spread), and even its worst May in 3 years lost only 7.3% — the gentlest downside anywhere on its calendar. Crucially, the gain is the fund's own rather than a rising tide's: May has cleared the S&P 500 by +7.7 points above the index. That consistency sets it apart from the field, where the average stock manages May only about 55% of the time.
The strength clusters rather than stands alone — May–September forms a firm stretch that carries much of the year. The weaker half of the year is plainer: April has been the soft spot — the weakest of 2 months that average a loss (−1.8%), and the edge isn't year-round — the fund has trailed the S&P 500 in April, March, and October.
The takeaway is less about when to buy than what to expect: May aside, the fund's months offer little reliable tilt. With a short 3-year record, the signal is best held loosely.
Short answers on the fund's best month (May), its worst (April), and whether it really trades seasonally.
Yes, to a pronounced degree. Since 2023 its best month (May, +8.4%) has run well ahead of its worst (April, −1.8%) — the heatmap above shows how steady that gap has been year to year.
May has been the strongest, averaging +8.4% and closing higher in all 3 years on record since 2023.
It's the weakest, averaging −1.8% — 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