NBB vs SPY: Correlation
Nuveen Taxable Municipal Income Fund (NBB) and SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) show a weak relationship: their 3-year correlation of weekly returns is 0.26.
Data as of 2026-08-27 · refreshed every trading day · weekly returns · methodology
How correlated are NBB and SPY?
Over the past 3 years, NBB and SPY moved with a correlation of 0.26, which is weak. The link has tightened recently: the 1-year correlation (0.57) runs above the 3-year figure (0.26). Over 5 years the correlation is 0.37, and the annualized covariance of weekly returns is 45.1 %².
Among the 19 assets we track against NBB, SPY sits near the bottom by co-movement, at rank #15. The last year tells two different stories: SPY led by 15.3 percentage points, +5.3% for NBB against +20.6% for SPY.
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.
NBB vs SPY: side by side
| NBB (Nuveen Taxable Municipal Income Fund) | SPY (SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year return | +5.3% | +20.6% |
| 5-year return | -5.4% | +82.4% |
| Volatility (ann.) | 12.0% | 14.5% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 0.22 | 1.00 |
| Max drawdown (3Y) | -11.4% | -18.8% |
| Market cap | – | – |
| P/E (trailing) | 16.4 | – |
| Dividend yield | 0.00% | 1.01% |
| Expense ratio | – | 0.09% |
| Assets under management | – | $795.3B |
| Sector / category | US Listed | ETF · US Large Cap |
SPY is a Large Blend fund from State Street Investment Management: $795.3B under management, 504 holdings, a 0.09% expense ratio, a 1.01% trailing dividend yield.
Year-by-year returns
| Year | NBB | SPY |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -24.6% | -18.2% |
| 2023 | +7.6% | +26.2% |
| 2024 | +1.4% | +24.9% |
| 2025 | +13.6% | +17.7% |
| 2026 | +2.4% | +13.7% |
Calendar-year price returns; the current year is year-to-date as of the data date above.
Are NBB and SPY good diversifiers for each other?
Reasonably. At 0.26, NBB and SPY keep a meaningful degree of independence, and combining them has historically reduced portfolio volatility.
FAQ
What is the correlation between NBB and SPY?
Using weekly returns as of 2026-08-27: 0.26 over 3 years, with 0.57 over the last year and 0.37 over 5 years.
Is SPY a good diversifier for NBB?
Reasonably. At 0.26, NBB and SPY keep a meaningful degree of independence, and combining them has historically reduced portfolio volatility.
What does a correlation of 0.26 mean?
A reading of 0.26 sits on a scale from −1 (opposite moves) through 0 (unrelated) to +1 (identical moves). Correlation captures direction, not magnitude or performance.
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Related comparisons
Hubs: NBB correlations · SPY correlations