The takeaway
FlexShares Ready Access Variable Income Fund shows a slight seasonal lean over 10 years of data — strongest in May (+0.3%) and softest in March (−0.1%).
Right now
In July, the fund has risen 100% of years, averaging +0.3%, roughly 1.9 pts behind the S&P 500.
The full picture
FlexShares Ready Access Variable Income Fund's most dependable month has been May, higher in 10 of 10 years; March has been its least reliable, up just 70% of the time.
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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 FlexShares Ready Access Variable Income Fund’s average for a month minus the S&P 500’s average for that same month — isolating FlexShares Ready Access Variable Income Fund’s own seasonal edge from broad market drift.
Reality check
Over the last 5 years, May has closed higher 100% of the time versus 100% across the last 10 years — the pattern is holding.
Figures are the typical (median) May 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
This is a fund you can almost set a calendar by, and May is the anchor — it has closed higher in all 10 Mays, the steadiest beat on its year.
The strength looks broad-based rather than freakish: its average (+0.3%) and median (+0.3%) sit close together, so no single blow-out year is flattering the figure. Set against the S&P 500, mind, May is close to a wash — the gain mirrors the market more than it beats it. Few peers keep such company in May — the typical stock clears it just 55% of the time.
The lift is near-universal — strength runs through almost every month of the year, not one window. At the other end of the calendar, March is the year's quietest corner, essentially flat on average, and the edge isn't year-round — the fund has trailed the S&P 500 in November, July, and April.
May has now closed higher 10 years running. Reassuringly, the tendency has held its shape: the recent five years still track the years behind them.
For a fund this dependable in May, the sharper question is the rest of the year — outside its strong stretch, the calendar gives far less to lean on.
Short answers on the fund's best month (May), its worst (March), and whether it really trades seasonally.
Only mildly. The fund's months are fairly even — May is the firmest (+0.3%) and March the softest (−0.1%), a narrow spread that points to weak seasonality rather than a strong calendar effect.
May has been the strongest, averaging +0.3% and closing higher in all 10 years on record since 2016.
It's the weakest, averaging −0.1% — 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