BTU vs QQQ: Correlation
How closely do Peabody Energy Corporation (BTU) and Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) trade together? Their weekly returns over three years give a correlation of 0.18, which is weak.
Data as of 2026-08-27 · refreshed every trading day · weekly returns · methodology
How correlated are BTU and QQQ?
On 3 years of weekly data the BTU/QQQ correlation comes out at 0.18, weak. The past 12 months show a weaker link (-0.12) than the 3-year average (0.18). The 5-year figure is 0.06, and annualized covariance runs at 184.5 %².
Out of 10 assets tracked against BTU, QQQ lands near the bottom at #7. Correlation aside, the last 12 months split them widely, with BTU ahead by 51.3 points (+77.6% versus +26.3%). Note the risk asymmetry: BTU runs 2.7 times the annualized volatility of the other leg, so equal-weighting the two is not an equal-risk position.
How is this computed?
Pearson correlation on weekly returns: ρ(A,B) = cov(rA, rB) / (σA · σB), over windows of 52, 156 and 260 weeks. Covariance is annualized (×52) and expressed in %². Full definitions on the methodology page.
BTU vs QQQ: side by side
| BTU (Peabody Energy Corporation) | QQQ (Invesco QQQ Trust) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year return | +77.6% | +26.3% |
| 5-year return | +95.9% | +95.4% |
| Volatility (ann.) | 52.8% | 19.6% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 0.73 | 1.28 |
| Max drawdown (3Y) | -65.1% | -22.8% |
| Market cap | $3.6B | – |
| P/E (trailing) | – | – |
| Dividend yield | 1.10% | 0.44% |
| Expense ratio | – | 0.18% |
| Assets under management | – | $452.8B |
| Sector / category | US Listed | ETF · US Growth & Tech |
QQQ is a Large Growth fund from Invesco: $452.8B under management, 104 holdings, a 0.18% expense ratio, a 0.44% trailing dividend yield.
Year-by-year returns
| Year | BTU | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +162.4% | -32.6% |
| 2023 | -7.0% | +54.9% |
| 2024 | -12.8% | +25.6% |
| 2025 | +44.2% | +20.8% |
| 2026 | -0.0% | +17.7% |
Calendar-year price returns; the current year is year-to-date as of the data date above.
Are BTU and QQQ good diversifiers for each other?
Yes: at 0.18, the two have gone their own ways historically, which is what genuine diversification looks like.
FAQ
What is the correlation between BTU and QQQ?
The BTU/QQQ correlation stands at 0.18 on a 3-year window (1 year: -0.12, 5 years: 0.06), computed from weekly returns as of 2026-08-27.
Is QQQ a good diversifier for BTU?
Yes: at 0.18, the two have gone their own ways historically, which is what genuine diversification looks like.
What does a correlation of 0.18 mean?
On the −1 to +1 scale, 0.18 describes how much the two returns move together: +1 is lockstep, 0 is independence, negative values mean opposite directions. It says nothing about which performed better.
Use this data
$ curl https://www.pairbook.io/api/v1/pairs/btu-vs-qqq.json
Embed this badge (it refreshes with the data), with attribution:
[](https://www.pairbook.io/pair/btu-vs-qqq/)
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Related comparisons
Hubs: BTU correlations · QQQ correlations
