The takeaway
IONQ Inc shows a pronounced seasonal pattern over 5 years of data — strongest in November (+38.8%) and softest in December (−6.7%).
Right now
In July, the stock has risen 60% of years, averaging +15.4%, about +13.2 pts better than the S&P 500.
The full picture
IONQ Inc's most dependable month has been November, higher in 3 of 5 years; December has been its least reliable, up just 20% 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 stock's clearest edge over the S&P 500 lands in November (+36.5 pts); it has trailed the market most in April (−10.4 pts).
“vs S&P” is IONQ Inc’s average for a month minus the S&P 500’s average for that same month — isolating IONQ Inc’s own seasonal edge from broad market drift.
Reality check
Over the last 5 years, November has closed higher 60% of the time versus 60% across the last 5 years — the pattern is holding.
Figures are the typical (median) November return and how often it rose — the last 5 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
November looks the standout, up in 3 of 5 Novembers — yet the appeal is lumpy, leaning on the occasional blow-out year rather than dependable strength.
The headline flatters a touch — its +38.8% average sits well above the +19.7% a typical year delivers, the work of a few big Novembers. That reliability comes with real swings, mind — even November ranges by 58.5% from year to year, so any single year can land far from the average. Crucially, the gain is the stock's own rather than a rising tide's: November has cleared the S&P 500 by +36.5 points above the index. Some of that is a strong month market-wide, mind — November rises for about 62% of stocks — so the tendency is real if not unique.
The strength clusters rather than stands alone — June–November forms a firm stretch that carries much of the year. At the other end of the calendar, December has been the soft spot — the weakest of 4 months that average a loss (−6.7%), and the edge isn't year-round — the stock has trailed the S&P 500 in April, December, and January. Its roughest month on record was a −40.8% February in 2025 — a reminder of how hard even a seasonal name can fall.
Hold it loosely, then: the November tendency is genuine but lumpy, more about the occasional outsized year than a gain to bank on. With a short 5-year record and returns that swing hard year to year, the signal is best held loosely.
Short answers on the stock's best month (November), its worst (December), and whether it really trades seasonally.
Yes, to a pronounced degree. Since 2021 its best month (November, +38.8%) has run well ahead of its worst (December, −6.7%) — the heatmap above shows how steady that gap has been year to year.
November has been the strongest, averaging +38.8% and closing higher in 3 of 5 years since 2021.
It's the weakest, averaging −6.7% — 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