MET vs XLF: Correlation
MetLife (MET) and Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) show a strong relationship: their 3-year correlation of weekly returns is 0.76.
Data as of 2026-08-27 · refreshed every trading day · weekly returns · methodology
How correlated are MET and XLF?
Across a 3-year window, the weekly returns of MET and XLF correlate at 0.76, strong. The past 12 months show a weaker link (0.60) than the 3-year average (0.76). Stretching to 5 years gives 0.79, with an annualized covariance of 287.8 %².
Few assets follow MET as closely as XLF, which ranks #3 of 37 tracked partners. On 12-month performance MET holds a 12.8-point edge, +22.1% against +9.3%. Across three years, the rolling one-year figure varied moderately, from 0.60 to 0.88.
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.
MET vs XLF: side by side
| MET (MetLife) | XLF (Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year return | +22.1% | +9.3% |
| 5-year return | +80.8% | +64.2% |
| Volatility (ann.) | 23.3% | 16.2% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 0.89 | 0.84 |
| Max drawdown (3Y) | -22.0% | -15.5% |
| Market cap | $61.2B | – |
| P/E (trailing) | 18.5 | – |
| Dividend yield | 2.38% | 1.42% |
| Expense ratio | – | 0.08% |
| Assets under management | – | $57.9B |
| Sector / category | Financials | Sector ETF |
XLF is a Financial fund from State Street Investment Management: $57.9B under management, 77 holdings, a 0.08% expense ratio, a 1.42% trailing dividend yield.
Year-by-year returns
| Year | MET | XLF |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +19.2% | -10.6% |
| 2023 | -5.5% | +12.0% |
| 2024 | +27.7% | +30.6% |
| 2025 | -0.8% | +14.9% |
| 2026 | +24.5% | +6.6% |
Calendar-year price returns; the current year is year-to-date as of the data date above.
Fund exposure
MET represents 0.63% of XLF's portfolio, so part of any move in XLF is MET itself, and the correlation between them is partly mechanical.
Are MET and XLF good diversifiers for each other?
Somewhat, no more. With 0.76 correlation, most large moves hit both names, and the diversification benefit stays modest.
FAQ
What is the correlation between MET and XLF?
The MET/XLF correlation stands at 0.76 on a 3-year window (1 year: 0.60, 5 years: 0.79), computed from weekly returns as of 2026-08-27.
Is XLF a good diversifier for MET?
Somewhat, no more. With 0.76 correlation, most large moves hit both names, and the diversification benefit stays modest.
What does a correlation of 0.76 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/met-vs-xlf.json
Embed this badge (it refreshes with the data), with attribution:
[](https://www.pairbook.io/pair/met-vs-xlf/)
Free with attribution; caching and terms are described in the API documentation.
Related comparisons
Hubs: MET correlations · XLF correlations
