The takeaway
SPDR® Bloomberg International Corporate Bond ETF shows a moderate seasonal pattern over 10 years of data — strongest in July (+1.7%) and softest in February (−1.3%).
Right now
In July, the fund has risen 80% of years, averaging +1.7% — essentially in line with the S&P 500.
The full picture
SPDR® Bloomberg International Corporate Bond ETF's most dependable month has been July, higher in 8 of 10 years; February has been its least reliable, up just 10% 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 | ||||||||||||
| 2020 | ||||||||||||
| 2019 | ||||||||||||
| 2018 | ||||||||||||
| 2017 | ||||||||||||
| 2016 |
Month by month
The fund's clearest edge over the S&P 500 lands in January (+1.0 pts); it has trailed the market most in October (−1.8 pts).
“vs S&P” is SPDR® Bloomberg International Corporate Bond ETF’s average for a month minus the S&P 500’s average for that same month — isolating SPDR® Bloomberg International Corporate Bond 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 80% across the last 10 years — the pattern is holding.
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 8 of 10 Julys, but it heads a clutch of months that pull the year reliably upward.
Its average (+1.7%) and median (+2.0%) land within a hair of each other — the tell of steady, year-after-year gains rather than one outlier doing the work. Set against the S&P 500, mind, July is close to a wash — the gain mirrors the market more than it beats it. 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 — March–July forms a firm stretch that carries much of the year. On the other side of the ledger, February has been the soft spot — the weakest of 3 months that average a loss (−1.3%), and the edge isn't year-round — the fund has trailed the S&P 500 in October, November, and February.
A long streak recently broke — July had risen 5 years straight before a −3.1% reading in 2025. 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: July aside, the fund's months offer little reliable tilt.
Short answers on the fund's best month (July), its worst (February), and whether it really trades seasonally.
Yes, to a moderate degree. Since 2016 its best month (July, +1.7%) has run well ahead of its worst (February, −1.3%) — the heatmap above shows how steady that gap has been year to year.
July has been the strongest, averaging +1.7% and closing higher in 8 of 10 years since 2016.
It's the weakest, averaging −1.3% — 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