26 years of seasonal data. AI scored daily.
Nasdaq QQQ Invesco ETF (QQQ) has historically averaged +2.6% in Oct with a 65% win rate over 26 years of data, making Oct the best month to buy QQQ stock. Sep is the weakest month, averaging -1.6%. TradeWave's AI currently assigns QQQ a long seasonal bias with a score of 67.4 and 74.2% win probability, based on 26 years of comparable seasonal windows.
Average monthly return from 2000 to 2026. Green bars are positive months, red bars are negative. The highlighted bar is QQQ's historically strongest month.
Based on 26 years of data (2000 to 2026). Best month is Oct, highlighted in gold.
All 12 months, based on 26 years of historical price data.
| Month | Avg Return | Win Rate | Best Year | Worst Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | +0.53% | 56% | +20.3% | -10.6% |
| Feb | -1.06% | 37% | +15.7% | -27.2% |
| Mar | +0.16% | 59% | +14.0% | -19.8% |
| Apr | +2.09% | 63% | +23.4% | -13.7% |
| May | +1.13% | 63% | +9.7% | -13.3% |
| Jun | +0.37% | 52% | +10.0% | -9.9% |
| Jul | +1.87% | 69% | +11.8% | -8.1% |
| Aug | +1.09% | 58% | +15.2% | -15.0% |
| Sep (worst) | -1.58% | 54% | +9.9% | -18.3% |
| Oct (best) | +2.59% | 65% | +18.0% | -14.6% |
| Nov | +1.82% | 62% | +12.2% | -22.2% |
| Dec | -0.29% | 50% | +10.6% | -13.0% |
2026 is a midterm (year 2) year in the 4 year presidential cycle. The same monthly seasonality recomputed using only prior midterm (year 2) years (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022) often tells a very different story. Months where the cycle phase diverges most from the long-run average are where seasonal edges either compound or evaporate.
| Month | All Years Avg | Midterm (Year 2) Avg | Difference | Sample (Phase) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | +0.53% | -2.34% | -2.87 pts | 6 yr |
| Feb | -1.06% | -1.40% | -0.34 pts | 6 yr |
| Mar | +0.16% | +1.60% | +1.44 pts | 6 yr |
| Apr | +2.09% | -3.95% | -6.04 pts | 6 yr |
| May | +1.13% | -2.39% | -3.52 pts | 6 yr |
| Jun | +0.37% | -3.84% | -4.21 pts | 6 yr |
| Jul | +1.87% | +2.11% | +0.24 pts | 6 yr |
| Aug | +1.09% | +1.45% | +0.36 pts | 6 yr |
| Sep | -1.58% | -1.00% | +0.58 pts | 6 yr |
| Oct | +2.59% | +3.56% | +0.97 pts | 6 yr |
| Nov | +1.82% | +3.95% | +2.13 pts | 6 yr |
| Dec | -0.29% | -5.31% | -5.02 pts | 6 yr |
Highlighted rows show months where midterm (year 2) years diverge by more than 3 percentage points from the long-run average. Sample sizes are small by design. Each cycle phase contains roughly one year in four of historical data.
Monthly averages show you the general direction. TradeWave goes further, scanning up to 98 years of daily price data to detect specific recurring date-range windows where QQQ has shown the strongest historical consistency.
TradeWave has identified 73 precise windows active for QQQ right now, each with specific entry and exit dates and an AI-scored probability. These aren't broad monthly trends. They're exact date ranges backed by decades of historical data.
2026 is classified as midterm (year 2) in the 4 year presidential cycle. Historically, QQQ has averaged -4.1% returns in this cycle phase.
AI scored patterns, entry and exit windows, historical backtests, and daily picks. Free tier available.
Compare QQQ's seasonal trends with similar stocks. Nasdaq QQQ Invesco ETF's best month is Oct (+2.6% avg). See how these related tickers compare.
Seasonal analysis, not investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
Last updated 2026-07-04