Home › Seasonality › Dow Jones Industrial Average
Dow Jones Industrial Average seasonality: the best and worst months
Since 1896, the Dow's strongest month on average has been July (+1.53%) and its weakest September (−1.18%). Below: every month's average and median return, how often it rose, and the strongest and weakest days of the year.
Average monthly return of the Dow, 1896 to last month. Strongest month outlined.
Every month
| Month | Average | Median | Years up | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +0.92% | +1.01% | 63% | 130 |
| February | −0.17% | +0.23% | 52% | 130 |
| March | +0.68% | +1.19% | 61% | 130 |
| April | +1.22% | +0.90% | 59% | 130 |
| May | −0.01% | +0.29% | 55% | 130 |
| June | +0.42% | +0.07% | 51% | 130 |
| July | +1.53% | +1.76% | 66% | 130 |
| August | +1.07% | +1.32% | 64% | 129 |
| September | −1.18% | −0.56% | 42% | 129 |
| October | +0.39% | +0.76% | 57% | 128 |
| November | +1.20% | +1.23% | 64% | 129 |
| December | +1.32% | +1.76% | 71% | 130 |
Strongest and weakest days of the year
| Strongest days | Avg | Up |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 20 | +0.58% | 68% |
| Dec 26 | +0.39% | 71% |
| Mar 15 | +0.38% | 55% |
| Jan 2 | +0.35% | 65% |
| Jul 1 | +0.32% | 68% |
| Weakest days | Avg | Up |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 19 | −0.39% | 48% |
| Feb 23 | −0.33% | 41% |
| Oct 9 | −0.29% | 46% |
| Apr 7 | −0.27% | 34% |
| Sep 26 | −0.25% | 44% |
Average one-day return on each calendar date, across every year it was a trading day.
See every Dow day in the calendar →