MSA vs QQQ: Correlation
How closely do MSA Safety Incorporated (MSA) and Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) trade together? Their weekly returns over three years give a correlation of 0.41, which is moderate.
Data as of 2026-08-27 · refreshed every trading day · weekly returns · methodology
How correlated are MSA and QQQ?
Over the past 3 years, MSA and QQQ moved with a correlation of 0.41, which is moderate. The link has loosened recently: the 1-year correlation (0.10) runs below the 3-year figure (0.41). Over 5 years the correlation is 0.47, and the annualized covariance of weekly returns is 185.9 %².
Among the 12 assets we track against MSA, QQQ sits near the bottom by co-movement, at rank #8. Over the last 12 months QQQ came out ahead by 14.9 percentage points (+11.4% against +26.3%).
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.
MSA vs QQQ: side by side
| MSA (MSA Safety Incorporated) | QQQ (Invesco QQQ Trust) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year return | +11.4% | +26.3% |
| 5-year return | +27.9% | +95.4% |
| Volatility (ann.) | 23.4% | 19.6% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 0.85 | 1.28 |
| Max drawdown (3Y) | -34.3% | -22.8% |
| Market cap | $7.4B | – |
| P/E (trailing) | 23.7 | – |
| Dividend yield | 1.12% | 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 | MSA | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -3.1% | -32.6% |
| 2023 | +18.5% | +54.9% |
| 2024 | -0.7% | +25.6% |
| 2025 | -2.1% | +20.8% |
| 2026 | +20.7% | +17.7% |
Calendar-year price returns; the current year is year-to-date as of the data date above.
Are MSA and QQQ good diversifiers for each other?
Reasonably. At 0.41, MSA and QQQ keep a meaningful degree of independence, and combining them has historically reduced portfolio volatility.
FAQ
What is the correlation between MSA and QQQ?
Using weekly returns as of 2026-08-27: 0.41 over 3 years, with 0.10 over the last year and 0.47 over 5 years.
Is QQQ a good diversifier for MSA?
Reasonably. At 0.41, MSA and QQQ keep a meaningful degree of independence, and combining them has historically reduced portfolio volatility.
What does a correlation of 0.41 mean?
A reading of 0.41 sits on a scale from −1 (opposite moves) through 0 (unrelated) to +1 (identical moves). Correlation captures direction, not magnitude or performance.
Use this data
$ curl https://www.pairbook.io/api/v1/pairs/msa-vs-qqq.json
Embed this badge (it refreshes with the data), with attribution:
[](https://www.pairbook.io/pair/msa-vs-qqq/)
No key needed, free to use. Full endpoint list in the API documentation.
Related comparisons
Hubs: MSA correlations · QQQ correlations
