The takeaway
VanEck Vectors ETF Trust - VanEck Green Metals ETF shows a moderate seasonal pattern over 5 years of data — strongest in May (+2.2%) and softest in April (−3.9%).
Right now
In July, the fund has risen 75% of years, averaging +0.7%, roughly 1.4 pts behind the S&P 500.
The full picture
VanEck Vectors ETF Trust - VanEck Green Metals ETF's most dependable month has been May, higher in 3 of 4 years; April has been its least reliable, up just 25% of the time.
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win rate % | ||||||||||||
| Median return % | ||||||||||||
| 2025 | ||||||||||||
| 2024 | ||||||||||||
| 2023 | ||||||||||||
| 2022 | ||||||||||||
| 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Month by month
The fund's clearest edge over the S&P 500 lands in September (+7.0 pts); it has trailed the market most in April (−5.5 pts).
“vs S&P” is VanEck Vectors ETF Trust - VanEck Green Metals ETF’s average for a month minus the S&P 500’s average for that same month — isolating VanEck Vectors ETF Trust - VanEck Green Metals ETF’s own seasonal edge from broad market drift.
Reality check
Over the last 4 years, May has closed higher 75% of the time versus 75% across the last 5 years — the pattern is holding.
Figures are the typical (median) May return and how often it rose — the last 4 years versus the last 5(the heatmap’s default window). This verdict stays anchored to that 5-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 3 of 4 Mays, but it heads a clutch of months that pull the year reliably upward.
Its average (+2.2%) and median (+5.2%) 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: May has cleared the S&P 500 by +1.5 points above the index. That consistency sets it apart from the field, where the average stock manages May only about 55% of the time.
A few other months pull their weight: March, July, and November have also closed higher more often than not. The weaker half of the year is plainer: April has been the soft spot — the weakest of 3 months that average a loss (−3.9%), and the edge isn't year-round — the fund has trailed the S&P 500 in April, October, and July. Its roughest month on record was a −16.3% April in 2022 — a reminder of how hard even a seasonal name can fall.
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 5-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 moderate degree. Since 2021 its best month (May, +2.2%) has run well ahead of its worst (April, −3.9%) — the heatmap above shows how steady that gap has been year to year.
May has been the strongest, averaging +2.2% and closing higher in 3 of 4 years since 2021.
It's the weakest, averaging −3.9% — 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