MFA vs QQQ: Correlation
How closely do MFA Financial, Inc. (MFA) and Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) trade together? Their weekly returns over three years give a correlation of 0.26, which is weak.
Data as of 2026-08-27 · refreshed every trading day · weekly returns · methodology
How correlated are MFA and QQQ?
Across a 3-year window, the weekly returns of MFA and QQQ correlate at 0.26, weak. Recent behaviour matches the longer record: 0.27 over 1 year against 0.26 over 3. Stretching to 5 years gives 0.39, with an annualized covariance of 132.6 %².
Out of 23 assets tracked against MFA, QQQ lands near the bottom at #20. Their recent paths diverged sharply: over the last 12 months QQQ outperformed by 23.5 percentage points (+2.8% for MFA against +26.3% for QQQ).
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.
MFA vs QQQ: side by side
| MFA (MFA Financial, Inc.) | QQQ (Invesco QQQ Trust) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year return | +2.8% | +26.3% |
| 5-year return | -8.1% | +95.4% |
| Volatility (ann.) | 25.6% | 19.6% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 0.64 | 1.28 |
| Max drawdown (3Y) | -31.6% | -22.8% |
| Market cap | $0.9B | – |
| P/E (trailing) | 8.8 | – |
| Dividend yield | 16.36% | 0.44% |
| Expense ratio | – | 0.18% |
| Assets under management | – | $452.8B |
| Sector / category | US Listed | 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 | MFA | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -37.2% | -32.6% |
| 2023 | +30.7% | +54.9% |
| 2024 | +2.6% | +25.6% |
| 2025 | +6.1% | +20.8% |
| 2026 | +2.6% | +17.7% |
Calendar-year price returns; the current year is year-to-date as of the data date above.
Are MFA and QQQ good diversifiers for each other?
Yes, to a useful degree: a correlation of 0.26 leaves real independence between the two, which historically damped combined volatility.
FAQ
What is the correlation between MFA and QQQ?
As of 2026-08-27, the correlation of weekly returns between MFA and QQQ is 0.26 over 3 years, 0.27 over 1 year and 0.39 over 5 years.
Is QQQ a good diversifier for MFA?
Yes, to a useful degree: a correlation of 0.26 leaves real independence between the two, which historically damped combined volatility.
What does a correlation of 0.26 mean?
On the −1 to +1 scale, 0.26 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
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Related comparisons
Hubs: MFA correlations · QQQ correlations
