Sector Seasonality
Sectors of the market don't all follow the same calendar. Here is each S&P 500 sector's best and worst month, measured with its SPDR sector ETF over up to 15 years. November is the best month for 6 of the 11 sectors, and September the worst for 9.
| Sector | ETF | Best month | Worst month | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technology | XLK | July +3.58% | September −1.06% | 15 |
| Health Care | XLV | November +3.48% | September −0.84% | 15 |
| Financials | XLF | November +4.61% | September −1.35% | 15 |
| Consumer Discretionary | XLY | November +4.02% | September −0.42% | 15 |
| Communication Services | XLC | January +4.50% | September −2.04% | 7 |
| Industrials | XLI | November +4.54% | September −0.94% | 15 |
| Consumer Staples | XLP | November +2.67% | September −1.24% | 15 |
| Energy | XLE | April +2.94% | August −1.56% | 15 |
| Utilities | XLU | March +3.11% | February −0.84% | 15 |
| Real Estate | XLRE | July +3.31% | September −2.95% | 10 |
| Materials | XLB | November +3.89% | September −2.18% | 15 |
Average calendar-month return, split- and dividend-adjusted. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
How to use sector seasonality
Sector patterns are broader than any one company's, so they add context to a single stock's record. Open a sector for its chart, its month-by-month record against the S&P 500, and the stocks inside it. Then open any stock for its own seasonality chart, or see how ETFs compare across the calendar.