CSQ vs ISRG: Correlation
How closely do Calamos Strategic Total Return Fund - Closed End Fund (CSQ) and Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) trade together? Their weekly returns over three years give a correlation of 0.53, which is moderate.
Data as of 2026-08-27 · refreshed every trading day · weekly returns · methodology
How correlated are CSQ and ISRG?
On 3 years of weekly data the CSQ/ISRG correlation comes out at 0.53, moderate. The link has loosened recently: the 1-year correlation (0.30) runs below the 3-year figure (0.53). The 5-year figure is 0.62, and annualized covariance runs at 309.3 %².
Among the 51 assets we track against CSQ, ISRG ranks #40 by 3-year correlation. Their recent paths diverged sharply: over the last 12 months CSQ outperformed by 43.5 percentage points (+21.4% for CSQ against -22.1% for ISRG). Risk is not evenly split, since ISRG carries 1.7 times the volatility of the other side.
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.
CSQ vs ISRG: side by side
| CSQ (Calamos Strategic Total Return Fund - Closed End Fund) | ISRG (Intuitive Surgical) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year return | +21.4% | -22.1% |
| 5-year return | +64.2% | +4.0% |
| Volatility (ann.) | 18.8% | 31.1% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 1.22 | 1.20 |
| Max drawdown (3Y) | -24.2% | -45.6% |
| Market cap | $3.4B | $131.5B |
| P/E (trailing) | 3.2 | 42.5 |
| Dividend yield | 2.95% | 0.00% |
| Sector / category | US Listed | Health Care |
Year-by-year returns
| Year | CSQ | ISRG |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -24.2% | -26.1% |
| 2023 | +20.9% | +27.1% |
| 2024 | +28.2% | +54.7% |
| 2025 | +16.3% | +8.5% |
| 2026 | +14.3% | -35.2% |
Calendar-year price returns; the current year is year-to-date as of the data date above.
Are CSQ and ISRG good diversifiers for each other?
Only partially. A correlation of 0.53 means CSQ and ISRG 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 CSQ and ISRG?
Using weekly returns as of 2026-08-27: 0.53 over 3 years, with 0.30 over the last year and 0.62 over 5 years.
Is ISRG a good diversifier for CSQ?
Only partially. A correlation of 0.53 means CSQ and ISRG share most of their swings. Pairing them dampens volatility somewhat, but it will not protect against a common drawdown.
What does a correlation of 0.53 mean?
On the −1 to +1 scale, 0.53 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/csq-vs-isrg.json
Markdown for the live badge, attribution link included:
[](https://www.pairbook.io/pair/csq-vs-isrg/)
Free with attribution; caching and terms are described in the API documentation.
Related comparisons
Hubs: CSQ correlations · ISRG correlations