KLAC vs QQQ: Correlation
How closely do KLA Corporation (KLAC) and Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) trade together? Their weekly returns over three years give a correlation of 0.65, which is strong.
Data as of 2026-08-27 · refreshed every trading day · weekly returns · methodology
How correlated are KLAC and QQQ?
Over the past 3 years, KLAC and QQQ moved with a correlation of 0.65, which is strong. The past 12 months show a weaker link (0.50) than the 3-year average (0.65). Over 5 years the correlation is 0.69, and the annualized covariance of weekly returns is 581.9 %².
Within KLAC's tracked universe of 40 assets, QQQ comes in at #20 by 3-year correlation. Their recent paths diverged sharply: over the last 12 months KLAC outperformed by 81.6 percentage points (+107.9% for KLAC against +26.3% for QQQ). The rolling one-year correlation moved between 0.46 and 0.84 over the past three years, a moderate range. Risk is not evenly split, since KLAC carries 2.3 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.
KLAC vs QQQ: side by side
| KLAC (KLA Corporation) | QQQ (Invesco QQQ Trust) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year return | +107.9% | +26.3% |
| 5-year return | +463.9% | +95.4% |
| Volatility (ann.) | 45.6% | 19.6% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 1.84 | 1.28 |
| Max drawdown (3Y) | -43.6% | -22.8% |
| Market cap | $240.1B | – |
| P/E (trailing) | 50.2 | – |
| Dividend yield | 0.44% | 0.44% |
| Expense ratio | – | 0.18% |
| Assets under management | – | $452.8B |
| Sector / category | Information Technology | ETF · US Growth & Tech |
QQQ is a Large Growth fund from Invesco: $452.8B under management, 104 holdings, a 0.18% expense ratio, a 0.44% trailing dividend yield.
Year-by-year returns
| Year | KLAC | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -11.2% | -32.6% |
| 2023 | +56.0% | +54.9% |
| 2024 | +9.4% | +25.6% |
| 2025 | +94.5% | +20.8% |
| 2026 | +51.8% | +17.7% |
Calendar-year price returns; the current year is year-to-date as of the data date above.
Fund exposure
Keep in mind that QQQ holds KLAC at a 1.07% weight, which makes a slice of this correlation mechanical rather than coincidental.
Are KLAC and QQQ good diversifiers for each other?
To a limited degree. At 0.65 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 KLAC and QQQ?
As of 2026-08-27, the correlation of weekly returns between KLAC and QQQ is 0.65 over 3 years, 0.50 over 1 year and 0.69 over 5 years.
Is QQQ a good diversifier for KLAC?
To a limited degree. At 0.65 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 0.65 mean?
On the −1 to +1 scale, 0.65 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/klac-vs-qqq.json
Embed this badge (it refreshes with the data), with attribution:
[](https://www.pairbook.io/pair/klac-vs-qqq/)
No key needed, free to use. Full endpoint list in the API documentation.
Related comparisons
Hubs: KLAC correlations · QQQ correlations
