The takeaway
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF shows a moderate seasonal pattern over 10 years of data — strongest in December (+1.8%) and softest in February (−1.9%).
Right now
In July, the fund has risen 70% of years, averaging +1.7% — essentially in line with the S&P 500.
The full picture
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF's most dependable month has been December, higher in 7 of 10 years; February has been its least reliable, up just 30% of the time.
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Month by month
The fund's clearest edge over the S&P 500 lands in January (+2.1 pts); it has trailed the market most in October (−2.0 pts).
“vs S&P” is Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF’s average for a month minus the S&P 500’s average for that same month — isolating Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta® Emerging Markets Equity ETF’s own seasonal edge from broad market drift.
Reality check
Over the last 5 years, December has closed higher 60% of the time versus 70% across the last 10 years — the pattern is holding.
Figures are the typical (median) December 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. December stands out, higher in 7 of 10 Decembers, but it heads a clutch of months that pull the year reliably upward.
Its average (+1.8%) and median (+2.9%) land within a hair of each other — the tell of steady, year-after-year gains rather than one outlier doing the work. Crucially, the gain is the fund's own rather than a rising tide's: December has cleared the S&P 500 by +0.8 points above the index. That consistency sets it apart from the field, where the average stock manages December only about 58% of the time.
A few other months pull their weight: January, March, and May have also closed higher more often than not. At the other end of the calendar, February has been the soft spot — the weakest of 2 months that average a loss (−1.9%), and the edge isn't year-round — the fund has trailed the S&P 500 in October, February, and March. Its roughest month on record was a −16.8% March in 2020 — a reminder of how hard even a seasonal name can fall.
Reassuringly, the tendency has held its shape: the recent five years still track the years behind them.
The takeaway is less about when to buy than what to expect: December aside, the fund's months offer little reliable tilt.
Short answers on the fund's best month (December), its worst (February), and whether it really trades seasonally.
Yes, to a moderate degree. Since 2016 its best month (December, +1.8%) has run well ahead of its worst (February, −1.9%) — the heatmap above shows how steady that gap has been year to year.
December has been the strongest, averaging +1.8% and closing higher in 7 of 10 years since 2016.
It's the weakest, averaging −1.9% — 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.
Before you trade