DSU vs FRA: Correlation
How closely do Blackrock Debt Strategies Fund, Inc. (DSU) and Blackrock Floating Rate Income Strategies Fund Inc (FRA) trade together? Their weekly returns over three years give a correlation of 0.72, which is strong.
Data as of 2026-08-27 · refreshed every trading day · weekly returns · methodology
How correlated are DSU and FRA?
On 3 years of weekly data the DSU/FRA correlation comes out at 0.72, strong. The relationship has been stable: the 1-year correlation (0.65) sits close to the 3-year figure. The 5-year figure is 0.70, and annualized covariance runs at 77.8 %².
FRA is one of the assets that tracks DSU most closely: it ranks #2 out of the 12 assets we track against DSU. The trailing year gives DSU the advantage: -0.2% versus -6.5%, a 6.3-point spread.
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.
DSU vs FRA: side by side
| DSU (Blackrock Debt Strategies Fund, Inc.) | FRA (Blackrock Floating Rate Income Strategies Fund Inc) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year return | -0.2% | -6.5% |
| 5-year return | +35.2% | +37.4% |
| Volatility (ann.) | 9.3% | 11.6% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 0.41 | 0.44 |
| Max drawdown (3Y) | -14.6% | -18.8% |
| Market cap | $0.6B | – |
| P/E (trailing) | 13.6 | 15.6 |
| Dividend yield | 12.59% | 13.61% |
| Sector / category | US Listed | US Listed |
Year-by-year returns
| Year | DSU | FRA |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -15.5% | -10.6% |
| 2023 | +30.4% | +25.5% |
| 2024 | +11.2% | +21.6% |
| 2025 | +6.0% | -3.7% |
| 2026 | +0.1% | +1.5% |
Calendar-year price returns; the current year is year-to-date as of the data date above.
Are DSU and FRA good diversifiers for each other?
To a limited degree. At 0.72 the two still catch most of the same waves, so the pair smooths returns a little without insulating either from a shared selloff.
FAQ
What is the correlation between DSU and FRA?
As of 2026-08-27, the correlation of weekly returns between DSU and FRA is 0.72 over 3 years, 0.65 over 1 year and 0.70 over 5 years.
Is FRA a good diversifier for DSU?
To a limited degree. At 0.72 the two still catch most of the same waves, so the pair smooths returns a little without insulating either from a shared selloff.
What does a correlation of 0.72 mean?
Correlation ranges from −1 to +1. Values near +1 mean two assets move together, near 0 that they move independently, and negative values that they tend to move in opposite directions. It measures co-movement, not performance.
Use this data
$ curl https://www.pairbook.io/api/v1/pairs/dsu-vs-fra.json
Drop this badge in a README or notebook; it updates with the data:
[](https://www.pairbook.io/pair/dsu-vs-fra/)
Free with attribution; caching and terms are described in the API documentation.
Related comparisons
Hubs: DSU correlations · FRA correlations
