FICO vs QUAL: Correlation
Fair Isaac (FICO) and iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF (QUAL) show a moderate relationship: their 3-year correlation of weekly returns is 0.46.
Data as of 2026-08-27 · refreshed every trading day · weekly returns · methodology
How correlated are FICO and QUAL?
Across a 3-year window, the weekly returns of FICO and QUAL correlate at 0.46, moderate. The link has loosened recently: the 1-year correlation (0.32) runs below the 3-year figure (0.46). Stretching to 5 years gives 0.48, with an annualized covariance of 288.5 %².
Within FICO's tracked universe of 30 assets, QUAL comes in at #13 by 3-year correlation. Their recent paths diverged sharply: over the last 12 months QUAL outperformed by 38.2 percentage points (-18.5% for FICO against +19.7% for QUAL). The rolling one-year correlation moved between 0.34 and 0.67 over the past three years, a moderate range. One caveat on sizing: FICO is 3.2 times as volatile as the other leg, so an equal-dollar split is far from equal-risk.
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.
FICO vs QUAL: side by side
| FICO (Fair Isaac) | QUAL (iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year return | -18.5% | +19.7% |
| 5-year return | +154.2% | +68.0% |
| Volatility (ann.) | 45.1% | 14.0% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 1.27 | 0.93 |
| Max drawdown (3Y) | -61.3% | -18.0% |
| Market cap | $25.0B | – |
| P/E (trailing) | 32.8 | – |
| Dividend yield | 0.00% | 0.86% |
| Expense ratio | – | 0.15% |
| Assets under management | – | $46.5B |
| Sector / category | Information Technology | ETF · US Style |
QUAL, iShares's Large Blend fund, carries $46.5B under management, 123 holdings, a 0.15% expense ratio, a 0.86% trailing dividend yield.
Year-by-year returns
| Year | FICO | QUAL |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +38.0% | -20.5% |
| 2023 | +94.5% | +30.9% |
| 2024 | +71.0% | +22.3% |
| 2025 | -15.1% | +12.7% |
| 2026 | -31.6% | +13.5% |
Calendar-year price returns; the current year is year-to-date as of the data date above.
Are FICO and QUAL good diversifiers for each other?
Reasonably. At 0.46, FICO and QUAL keep a meaningful degree of independence, and combining them has historically reduced portfolio volatility.
FAQ
What is the correlation between FICO and QUAL?
Using weekly returns as of 2026-08-27: 0.46 over 3 years, with 0.32 over the last year and 0.48 over 5 years.
Is QUAL a good diversifier for FICO?
Reasonably. At 0.46, FICO and QUAL keep a meaningful degree of independence, and combining them has historically reduced portfolio volatility.
What does a correlation of 0.46 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/fico-vs-qual.json
Markdown for the live badge, attribution link included:
[](https://www.pairbook.io/pair/fico-vs-qual/)
Free with attribution; caching and terms are described in the API documentation.
Related comparisons
Hubs: FICO correlations · QUAL correlations
