FT vs RFI: Correlation
How closely do Franklin Universal Trust (FT) and Cohen & Steers Total Return Realty Fund, Inc. (RFI) 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 FT and RFI?
On 3 years of weekly data the FT/RFI correlation comes out at 0.72, strong. The link has loosened recently: the 1-year correlation (0.58) runs below the 3-year figure (0.72). The 5-year figure is 0.66, and annualized covariance runs at 137.8 %².
By 3-year correlation, RFI places #4 of the 12 assets tracked against FT. Twelve-month performance is nearly a tie, at +4.8% for FT and +3.7% for RFI. Note the risk asymmetry: RFI runs 1.7 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.
FT vs RFI: side by side
| FT (Franklin Universal Trust) | RFI (Cohen & Steers Total Return Realty Fund, Inc.) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year return | +4.8% | +3.7% |
| 5-year return | +31.6% | +5.1% |
| Volatility (ann.) | 10.5% | 18.1% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 0.32 | 0.57 |
| Max drawdown (3Y) | -10.6% | -16.2% |
| Market cap | – | – |
| P/E (trailing) | 6.0 | 27.1 |
| Dividend yield | 6.58% | 8.41% |
| Sector / category | US Listed | US Listed |
Year-by-year returns
| Year | FT | RFI |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -14.0% | -22.1% |
| 2023 | +6.6% | +4.4% |
| 2024 | +18.4% | +6.6% |
| 2025 | +17.0% | +3.6% |
| 2026 | +1.1% | +8.9% |
Calendar-year price returns; the current year is year-to-date as of the data date above.
Are FT and RFI 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 FT and RFI?
As of 2026-08-27, the correlation of weekly returns between FT and RFI is 0.72 over 3 years, 0.58 over 1 year and 0.66 over 5 years.
Is RFI a good diversifier for FT?
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?
On the −1 to +1 scale, 0.72 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/ft-vs-rfi.json
Drop this badge in a README or notebook; it updates with the data:
[](https://www.pairbook.io/pair/ft-vs-rfi/)
Free with attribution; caching and terms are described in the API documentation.
Related comparisons
Hubs: FT correlations · RFI correlations
