The takeaway
Charles Schwab Corp shows a moderate seasonal pattern over 10 years of data — strongest in October (+4.2%) and softest in February (−0.4%).
Right now
In July, the stock has risen 60% of years, averaging +2.9%, about +0.7 pts better than the S&P 500.
The full picture
Charles Schwab Corp's most dependable month has been October, higher in 8 of 10 years; February has been its least reliable, up just 20% of the time.
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Month by month
The stock's clearest edge over the S&P 500 lands in November (+7.6 pts); it has trailed the market most in March (−5.1 pts).
“vs S&P” is Charles Schwab Corp’s average for a month minus the S&P 500’s average for that same month — isolating Charles Schwab Corp’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 10 years — the pattern is strengthening.
Figures are the typical (median) October 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. October stands out, higher in 8 of 10 Octobers, but it heads a clutch of months that pull the year reliably upward.
Its average (+4.2%) and median (+5.1%) land within a hair of each other — the tell of steady, year-after-year gains rather than one outlier doing the work. It is among its calmest months, too, its returns swinging least from year to year (a 5.7% spread). Crucially, the gain is the stock's own rather than a rising tide's: October has cleared the S&P 500 by +3.2 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 — July–December forms a firm stretch that carries much of the year. The weaker half of the year is plainer: February is the year's quietest corner, essentially flat on average, and the edge isn't year-round — the stock has trailed the S&P 500 in March, June, and January. Its roughest month on record was a −32.3% March in 2023 — a reminder of how hard even a seasonal name can fall.
If anything it has sharpened recently — the last five Octobers run ahead of the earlier years.
The takeaway is less about when to buy than what to expect: October aside, the stock's months offer little reliable tilt.
Short answers on the stock's best month (October), its worst (February), and whether it really trades seasonally.
Yes, to a moderate degree. Since 2016 its best month (October, +4.2%) has run well ahead of its worst (February, −0.4%) — the heatmap above shows how steady that gap has been year to year.
October has been the strongest, averaging +4.2% and closing higher in 8 of 10 years since 2016.
It's the weakest, averaging −0.4% — 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