The takeaway
Nuveen Growth Opportunities ETF shows a moderate seasonal pattern over 5 years of data — strongest in October (+2.9%) and softest in February (−1.4%).
Right now
In July, the fund has risen 75% of years, averaging +3.4%, about +1.3 pts better than the S&P 500.
The full picture
Nuveen Growth Opportunities ETF's most dependable month has been October, higher in 4 of 5 years; February 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 May (+2.8 pts); it has trailed the market most in April (−5.2 pts).
“vs S&P” is Nuveen Growth Opportunities ETF’s average for a month minus the S&P 500’s average for that same month — isolating Nuveen Growth Opportunities ETF’s own seasonal edge from broad market drift.
Reality check
Over the last 5 years, October has closed higher 80% of the time versus 80% across the last 5 years — the pattern is holding.
Figures are the typical (median) October 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
Dependability is the through-line here. October stands out, higher in 4 of 5 Octobers, but it heads a clutch of months that pull the year reliably upward.
Its average (+2.9%) and median (+2.6%) land within a hair of each other — the tell of steady, year-after-year gains rather than one outlier doing the work. It is also the calendar's calmest month, its returns swinging least from year to year (a 2.8% spread), and even its worst October in 5 years lost only 1.6% — the gentlest downside anywhere on its calendar. Crucially, the gain is the fund's own rather than a rising tide's: October has cleared the S&P 500 by +1.9 points above the index. That consistency sets it apart from the field, where the average stock manages October only about 53% of the time.
The strength clusters rather than stands alone — October–January forms a firm stretch that carries much of the year. At the other end of the calendar, February has been the soft spot — the weakest of 3 months that average a loss (−1.4%), and the edge isn't year-round — the fund has trailed the S&P 500 in April, December, and February. Its roughest month on record was a −12.5% 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: October 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 (October), its worst (February), and whether it really trades seasonally.
Yes, to a moderate degree. Since 2021 its best month (October, +2.9%) has run well ahead of its worst (February, −1.4%) — the heatmap above shows how steady that gap has been year to year.
October has been the strongest, averaging +2.9% and closing higher in 4 of 5 years since 2021.
It's the weakest, averaging −1.4% — 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