Backtested Strategies Announces Market Seasonality Research System
Backtested Strategies announces a market seasonality research system that applies the same analytical framework across major indexes, U.S. sectors, industry ETFs, country ETFs and selected stock universes. The system currently includes seven heatmaps using eight core metrics and common BTS Zone rules, with corresponding Strength Zones backtests applying a single core portfolio framework.
The system brings broad market benchmarks, sectors, industries, countries and individual stocks into one standardized research family. Instead of changing formulas or research conventions between market universes, BTS applies a common seasonal lens so readers can compare market behavior without also accounting for changes in the tool.
One standardized heatmap family
The current BTS Heatmaps family includes Major Indexes, U.S. Sectors, Industry ETFs, Country ETFs, Dow-65 Stocks, Nasdaq-100 Stocks and S&P-100 Stocks. Weekly views are available across the family, and the Major Indexes heatmap also includes a Daily view for finer calendar detail.
Each heatmap turns completed calendar-year price history into an interactive view of market seasonality. Users can move from broad seasonal patterns to supporting detail without changing the analytical lens.
Built for direct comparison
Every heatmap in the BTS family uses the same eight core metrics:
- Average Return
- Median Return
- Volatility
- Average Return-to-Volatility Ratio
- Positive Week Rate or Positive Day Rate
- Win Rate vs S&P 500
- Relative Return vs S&P 500
- Sample Size
Together, the metrics show return magnitude, consistency, volatility, return per unit of volatility, relative performance versus the S&P 500 and the sample depth supporting each reading.
BTS Strength Zones and BTS Weakness Zones add a common proprietary overlay to the All Data views. The same Zone qualification, ranking, selection and overlap process is applied to eligible symbols across the market universes to identify selected multi-week periods of unusual relative strength or weakness versus the S&P 500.
Corresponding Strength Zones backtests
The same comparative structure extends from the heatmaps to published BTS Strength Zones backtests. Each backtest applies the same core portfolio framework to the published Strength Zones from its corresponding heatmap.
Across the backtests, the common framework uses a long-only, event-driven allocation model, a VIX 50/35 admission regime, standardized entry and hold-through-zone-end rules, equal weighting and SPY or SHY fallback. The same BTS Methodology governs execution, trading-cost treatment, dividends, portfolio accounting and reporting.
Market universes, available histories, qualifying assets and published Zone schedules can differ. The core decision rules and portfolio framework remain fixed. That separation gives investors a more consistent basis for comparing compounding, volatility, drawdowns, persistence, capacity and implementation across different market structures.
Designed for evidence-first seasonal research
The heatmaps and BTS Zones are historical research lenses. They are designed to keep recurring seasonal patterns connected to sample depth, volatility, benchmark-relative behavior and the underlying history rather than presenting heatmap color or average return in isolation.
The backtests add the next layer by showing what happened when published Strength Zones were translated into fully specified strategies under a common testing framework.
Explore the full system
BTS Heatmaps: A Standardized Seasonality System explains how the heatmap family, shared metrics, Zone rules and corresponding backtests fit together. Investors can also explore the current BTS Heatmaps and visit the Strategies Library for the full Strength Zones backtest reports.
About Backtested Strategies
Backtested Strategies (BTS) is a financial research publisher operated by Marquantex LLC, focused on systematic trading strategies, rigorous backtests and market tools for serious investors. BTS publishes backtests under a standardized, institutional-grade methodology that makes strategy rules, assumptions, benchmarks, trading-cost treatment, portfolio accounting and reporting conventions explicit. Its research is designed to help investors judge strategy behavior, risk, implementation demands and portfolio fit with the full structure of each test in view.