The takeaway
iShares Systematic Alternatives Active ETF shows a slight seasonal lean over 1 years of data — strongest in December (+0.7%) and softest in December (+0.7%).
Right now
Not enough July history yet to summarize.
The full picture
iShares Systematic Alternatives Active ETF's most dependable month has been December, higher in 1 of 1 years; December has been its least reliable, up just 100% of the time.
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win rate % | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Median return % | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2025 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Month by month
Across the year the fund has stayed close to the S&P 500 — no single month stands out as a real edge.
“vs S&P” is iShares Systematic Alternatives Active ETF’s average for a month minus the S&P 500’s average for that same month — isolating iShares Systematic Alternatives Active ETF’s own seasonal edge from broad market drift.
Reality check
Not enough recent December history to say whether the pattern still holds.
Figures are the typical (median) December return and how often it rose — the last 1 years versus the last 1(the heatmap’s default window). This verdict stays anchored to that 1-year window even if you zoom the chart, so it never disagrees with the badges above.
In plain English
The seasonal story is really one month's story — December. It has closed higher in all 1 Decembers, a concentration the rest of the calendar can't touch.
The strength looks broad-based rather than freakish: its average (+0.7%) and median (+0.7%) sit close together, so no single blow-out year is flattering the figure. No month is steadier: December's returns vary by just 0.0% year to year, and even its worst December in 1 years lost only 0.7% — the gentlest downside anywhere on its calendar. Set against the S&P 500, mind, December is close to a wash — the gain mirrors the market more than it beats it. Few peers keep such company in December — the typical stock clears it just 58% of the time.
No other month comes close to matching it — the rest of the calendar is unremarkable by comparison. On the other side of the ledger, December is the year's low point, though even there the fund has stayed positive on average (+0.7%), a sign every month leans up.
For a fund this dependable in December, the sharper question is the rest of the year — outside its strong stretch, the calendar gives far less to lean on. With a short 1-year record, the signal is best held loosely.
Short answers on the fund's best month (December), its worst (December), and whether it really trades seasonally.
Only mildly. The fund's months are fairly even — December is the firmest (+0.7%) and December the softest (+0.7%), a narrow spread that points to weak seasonality rather than a strong calendar effect.
December has been the strongest, averaging +0.7% and closing higher in its one year on record since 2025.
It's the weakest month, but it has still averaged a small gain (+0.7%) — quiet rather than genuinely bad.
Explore
These names have the strongest July track records on record — a starting point for comparison.
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