MDY vs WRLD: Correlation
SPDR S&P MidCap 400 ETF (MDY) and World Acceptance Corporation (WRLD) show a moderate relationship: their 3-year correlation of weekly returns is 0.54.
Data as of 2026-08-27 · refreshed every trading day · weekly returns · methodology
How correlated are MDY and WRLD?
On 3 years of weekly data the MDY/WRLD correlation comes out at 0.54, moderate. Lately the two have drifted apart, with the 1-year correlation at 0.25 versus 0.54 over 3 years. The 5-year figure is 0.54, and annualized covariance runs at 374.8 %².
Among the 359 assets we track against MDY, WRLD ranks #265 by 3-year correlation. Over the last 12 months MDY came out ahead by 8.0 percentage points (+18.3% against +10.3%). Note the risk asymmetry: WRLD runs 2.6 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.
MDY vs WRLD: side by side
| MDY (SPDR S&P MidCap 400 ETF) | WRLD (World Acceptance Corporation) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year return | +18.3% | +10.3% |
| 5-year return | +47.5% | +0.7% |
| Volatility (ann.) | 16.5% | 42.1% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 0.91 | 1.17 |
| Max drawdown (3Y) | -24.0% | -37.3% |
| Market cap | – | $0.9B |
| P/E (trailing) | – | 24.1 |
| Dividend yield | 1.02% | 0.00% |
| Expense ratio | 0.23% | – |
| Assets under management | $26.5B | – |
| Sector / category | ETF · US Small & Mid Cap | US Listed |
MDY is a Mid-Cap Blend fund from State Street Investment Management: $26.5B under management, 400 holdings, a 0.23% expense ratio, a 1.02% trailing dividend yield.
Year-by-year returns
| Year | MDY | WRLD |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -13.3% | -73.1% |
| 2023 | +16.1% | +98.0% |
| 2024 | +13.6% | -13.9% |
| 2025 | +7.2% | +24.9% |
| 2026 | +16.4% | +35.4% |
Calendar-year price returns; the current year is year-to-date as of the data date above.
Are MDY and WRLD good diversifiers for each other?
To a limited degree. At 0.54 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 MDY and WRLD?
Using weekly returns as of 2026-08-27: 0.54 over 3 years, with 0.25 over the last year and 0.54 over 5 years.
Is WRLD a good diversifier for MDY?
To a limited degree. At 0.54 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 0.54 mean?
On the −1 to +1 scale, 0.54 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/mdy-vs-wrld.json
Drop this badge in a README or notebook; it updates with the data:
[](https://www.pairbook.io/pair/mdy-vs-wrld/)
No key needed, free to use. Full endpoint list in the API documentation.
Related comparisons
Hubs: MDY correlations · WRLD correlations
