PAYS vs QQQ: Correlation
Paysign, Inc. (PAYS) and Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) show a weak relationship: their 3-year correlation of weekly returns is 0.24.
Data as of 2026-08-27 · refreshed every trading day · weekly returns · methodology
How correlated are PAYS and QQQ?
Over the past 3 years, PAYS and QQQ moved with a correlation of 0.24, which is weak. The link has loosened recently: the 1-year correlation (0.08) runs below the 3-year figure (0.24). Over 5 years the correlation is 0.26, and the annualized covariance of weekly returns is 382.8 %².
Among the 15 assets we track against PAYS, QQQ sits near the bottom by co-movement, at rank #12. Their recent paths diverged sharply: over the last 12 months PAYS outperformed by 122.9 percentage points (+149.2% for PAYS against +26.3% for QQQ). Risk is not evenly split, since PAYS carries 4.1 times the volatility of the other side.
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.
PAYS vs QQQ: side by side
| PAYS (Paysign, Inc.) | QQQ (Invesco QQQ Trust) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year return | +149.2% | +26.3% |
| 5-year return | +430.6% | +95.4% |
| Volatility (ann.) | 81.0% | 19.6% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 1.60 | 1.28 |
| Max drawdown (3Y) | -64.6% | -22.8% |
| Market cap | $0.7B | – |
| P/E (trailing) | 50.6 | – |
| Dividend yield | 0.00% | 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 | PAYS | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +61.2% | -32.6% |
| 2023 | +8.5% | +54.9% |
| 2024 | +7.9% | +25.6% |
| 2025 | +70.5% | +20.8% |
| 2026 | +155.5% | +17.7% |
Calendar-year price returns; the current year is year-to-date as of the data date above.
Are PAYS and QQQ good diversifiers for each other?
A fair diversifier. At 0.24, enough of each asset's movement is its own that the pair has smoothed outcomes historically.
FAQ
What is the correlation between PAYS and QQQ?
Using weekly returns as of 2026-08-27: 0.24 over 3 years, with 0.08 over the last year and 0.26 over 5 years.
Is QQQ a good diversifier for PAYS?
A fair diversifier. At 0.24, enough of each asset's movement is its own that the pair has smoothed outcomes historically.
What does a correlation of 0.24 mean?
On the −1 to +1 scale, 0.24 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/pays-vs-qqq.json
Embed this badge (it refreshes with the data), with attribution:
[](https://www.pairbook.io/pair/pays-vs-qqq/)
No key needed, free to use. Full endpoint list in the API documentation.
Related comparisons
Hubs: PAYS correlations · QQQ correlations
