C vs KEY: Correlation
How closely do Citigroup (C) and KeyCorp (KEY) trade together? Their weekly returns over three years give a correlation of 0.78, which is strong.
Data as of 2026-08-27 · refreshed every trading day · weekly returns · methodology
How correlated are C and KEY?
Over the past 3 years, C and KEY moved with a correlation of 0.78, which is strong. The relationship has been stable: the 1-year correlation (0.69) sits close to the 3-year figure. Over 5 years the correlation is 0.73, and the annualized covariance of weekly returns is 754.5 %².
Among the 33 assets we track against C, KEY ranks #5 by 3-year correlation. Their recent paths diverged sharply: over the last 12 months C outperformed by 21.5 percentage points (+39.9% for C against +18.4% for KEY). The rolling one-year correlation stayed in a tight band between 0.66 and 0.86 over the past three years, which points to a structural rather than episodic relationship.
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.
C vs KEY: side by side
| C (Citigroup) | KEY (KeyCorp) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year return | +39.9% | +18.4% |
| 5-year return | +119.6% | +38.0% |
| Volatility (ann.) | 30.3% | 32.1% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 1.39 | 1.25 |
| Max drawdown (3Y) | -31.3% | -32.2% |
| Market cap | $222.6B | $23.5B |
| P/E (trailing) | 14.4 | 13.0 |
| Dividend yield | 1.80% | 3.71% |
| Sector / category | Financials | Financials |
Year-by-year returns
| Year | C | KEY |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -22.1% | -21.7% |
| 2023 | +19.0% | -11.5% |
| 2024 | +41.9% | +25.3% |
| 2025 | +70.4% | +26.2% |
| 2026 | +15.4% | +8.8% |
Calendar-year price returns; the current year is year-to-date as of the data date above.
Are C and KEY good diversifiers for each other?
Only partially. A correlation of 0.78 means C and KEY share most of their swings. Pairing them dampens volatility somewhat, but it will not protect against a common drawdown.
FAQ
What is the correlation between C and KEY?
Using weekly returns as of 2026-08-27: 0.78 over 3 years, with 0.69 over the last year and 0.73 over 5 years.
Is KEY a good diversifier for C?
Only partially. A correlation of 0.78 means C and KEY share most of their swings. Pairing them dampens volatility somewhat, but it will not protect against a common drawdown.
What does a correlation of 0.78 mean?
On the −1 to +1 scale, 0.78 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/c-vs-key.json
Drop this badge in a README or notebook; it updates with the data:
[](https://www.pairbook.io/pair/c-vs-key/)
Free with attribution; caching and terms are described in the API documentation.
Related comparisons
Hubs: C correlations · KEY correlations
