Does PayPal (PYPL) stock go up or down depending on the month?
PayPal month by month, year by year
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | -9.7% | -12.3% | -2.1% | +10.9% | -10.7% | -3.5% | +32.5% | |||||
| 2025 | +3.8% | -19.8% | -8.2% | +0.9% | +6.7% | +5.7% | -7.5% | +2.1% | -4.5% | +3.3% | -9.5% | -6.9% |
| 2024 | -0.1% | -1.6% | +11.0% | +1.4% | -7.3% | -7.9% | +13.4% | +10.1% | +7.7% | +1.6% | +9.4% | -1.6% |
| 2023 | +14.4% | -9.7% | +3.2% | +0.1% | -18.4% | +7.6% | +13.6% | -17.6% | -6.5% | -11.4% | +11.2% | +6.6% |
| 2022 | -8.8% | -34.9% | +3.3% | -24.0% | -3.1% | -18.0% | +23.9% | +8.0% | -7.9% | -2.9% | -6.2% | -9.2% |
| 2021 | +0.0% | +10.9% | -6.5% | +8.0% | -0.9% | +12.1% | -5.5% | +4.8% | -9.9% | -10.6% | -20.5% | +2.0% |
| 2020 | +5.3% | -5.2% | -11.3% | +28.5% | +26.0% | +12.4% | +12.5% | +4.1% | -3.5% | -5.5% | +15.0% | +9.4% |
| 2019 | +5.6% | +10.5% | +5.9% | +8.6% | -2.7% | +4.3% | -3.5% | -1.2% | -5.0% | +0.5% | +3.8% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | +15.9% | -6.9% | -4.5% | -1.7% | +10.0% | +1.5% | -1.4% | +12.4% | -4.9% | -4.2% | +1.9% | -2.0% |
| 2017 | +0.8% | +5.6% | +2.4% | +10.9% | +9.4% | +2.8% | +9.1% | +5.3% | +3.8% | +13.3% | +4.4% | -2.8% |
| 2016 | -0.2% | +5.5% | +1.2% | +1.5% | -3.5% | -3.4% | +2.0% | -0.2% | +10.3% | +1.7% | -5.7% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | -9.6% | -11.3% | +16.0% | -2.1% | +2.7% | |||||||
| Average | +2.4% | -5.3% | -0.5% | +4.1% | +0.5% | +1.2% | +8.1% | +1.7% | -2.9% | +0.2% | +0.2% | -0.1% |
| % of years up | 64% | 36% | 55% | 82% | 36% | 64% | 64% | 64% | 27% | 55% | 55% | 55% |
| Years observed | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
PayPal month by month: the summary
Over 2015-2026, here's what PayPal (PYPL) stock did each month, on average: January +2.4% (up 64% of 11 years), February -5.3% (up 36% of 11 years), March -0.5% (up 55% of 11 years), April +4.1% (up 82% of 11 years), May +0.5% (up 36% of 11 years), June +1.2% (up 64% of 11 years), July +8.1% (up 64% of 11 years), August +1.7% (up 64% of 11 years), September -2.9% (up 27% of 11 years), October +0.2% (up 55% of 11 years), November +0.2% (up 55% of 11 years), December -0.1% (up 55% of 11 years). In other words, PYPL historically rose in January, April, May, June, July, August, October, November, and fell in February, March, September, December.
Does PayPal really go up in July?
Over 2015-2026, July is PayPal's strongest month: +8.1% on average, positive in 7 of 11 years. At the other end, February shows -5.3%. But a monthly gap is often built on one or two extreme years — the table above shows it: look at the spread, not just the average. Seasonality only means something when it has a cause (selling season, earnings calendar, year-end tax effects); with no identified cause, it's probably noise.
Frequently asked questions
Does PayPal stock go up or down in April?
Over 11 years, PYPL rose +4.1% on average in April, finishing the month up 9 times out of 11 (82%). Median: +1.5%. It's one of its most consistent months. ⚠️ 11 years of data is not a prediction.
Does PayPal stock go up or down in August?
Over 11 years, PYPL rose +1.7% on average in August, finishing the month up 7 times out of 11 (64%). Median: +4.1%. Results are split year to year — there's no clear pattern. ⚠️ 11 years of data is not a prediction.
Does PayPal stock go up or down in September?
Over 11 years, PYPL fell -2.9% on average in September, finishing the month up 3 times out of 11 (27%). Median: -4.9%. It's one of its weakest months. ⚠️ 11 years of data is not a prediction.
Does PayPal stock go up or down in January?
Over 11 years, PYPL rose +2.4% on average in January, finishing the month up 7 times out of 11 (64%). Median: +0.8%. Results are split year to year — there's no clear pattern. ⚠️ 11 years of data is not a prediction.
Does PayPal stock go up or down in June?
Over 11 years, PYPL rose +1.2% on average in June, finishing the month up 7 times out of 11 (64%). Median: +2.8%. Results are split year to year — there's no clear pattern. ⚠️ 11 years of data is not a prediction.
Does PayPal stock go up or down in March?
Over 11 years, PYPL fell -0.5% on average in March, finishing the month up 6 times out of 11 (55%). Median: +1.2%. Results are split year to year — there's no clear pattern. ⚠️ 11 years of data is not a prediction.
What is the best month to buy PayPal stock?
Historically, July: over the last 12 years, PYPL gained +8.1% on average that month and finished up 64% of the time (11 years observed). February is the weakest month (-5.3%). This is not a prediction: 12 years is a small sample, and the past is under no obligation to repeat.
Why does PayPal stock often rise in July?
July has averaged as its best month over 12 years (+8.1%, up 64% of years). No clearly established recurring seasonal driver explains this month — it's a statistical tendency over 12 years of history, not a prediction.
Is there a best month to invest in the stock market in general?
There's no universal rule: every stock has its own seasonality. For PYPL it's July (+8.1% on average over 12 years) — another stock will look completely different. The calendar effects people cite ("sell in May", the year-end rally) are market-wide averages, not laws: on PYPL, April is the most consistent month (82% positive years). We also rank all 12 months for the whole market.
Does stock seasonality actually work?
Careful. A month that rose 12 times out of 12 can simply be chance: with 12 months and a dozen years, patterns appear naturally even in random data. Seasonality describes what happened; it doesn't explain why and predicts nothing. Treat it as context, never as a standalone buy signal.
What data is this table based on?
On PYPL's real monthly closing prices from 2015 to 2026 (12 years), source Yahoo Finance. Each cell = the price change over that month. Price performance, excluding dividends. Incomplete months and quote gaps are excluded.