LearnComparisons › dip buyer vs monthly cycle

Drawdown Dip Buyer + 8% Target vs First-to-Last Day of Month

Two rule sets, 59 ETFs, one engine and window — a genuinely like-for-like comparison.

Head-to-head: monthly cycle won on 37 of 59 ETFs by CAGR. Median CAGR — dip buyer: 1.4% · monthly cycle: 6.2%. Median max drawdown — 26.2% vs 36.7%.
dip buyermonthly cycle
Median CAGR (59 ETFs)1.4%6.2%
Median max drawdown−26.2%−36.7%
ETFs won (by CAGR)2237
Styleassets that sell off hard and recover — it monetizes volatility without chasing strengthunderstanding how much of an asset's return accrues inside the month versus across month boundaries

Where the gap was biggest

ETFdip buyermonthly cyclegap
TECS −16.6%−45.5% 29.0%
SOXS −30.7%−50.5% 19.8%
UVXY −38.0%−55.5% 17.4%
XLK 5.7%18.1% 12.4%
IAU −1.4%10.9% 12.3%
CLSE 5.6%17.6% 12.0%
SQQQ −28.9%−40.3% 11.4%
VOO 2.7%12.4% 9.7%
SPY 2.7%12.2% 9.5%
VV 2.8%12.1% 9.3%
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Frequently asked questions

Which is better: dip buyer or monthly cycle?

On this 2021-01-04–2026-07-17 window, monthly cycle produced the higher CAGR on 37 of 59 ETFs. Median CAGR: dip buyer 1.4% vs monthly cycle 6.2%; median max drawdown: 26.2% vs 36.7%. "Better" depends on the asset and what you optimize — the per-ETF table shows where each wins.

Dig deeper

Drawdown Dip Buyer + 8% Targetrules + all 59 ETF results First-to-Last Day of Monthrules + all 59 ETF results

Backtests are hypothetical, computed by DeployQuant's engine on minute-resolution consolidated US market data (2021-01-04 to 2026-07-17, $10,000 starting capital, no margin, fees and slippage not modeled) and do not guarantee future results. Nothing on this page is investment advice. Live trading involves risk of loss.