PFG vs QQQ: Correlation
Measured on weekly returns over the past three years, Principal Financial Group (PFG) and Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) carry a correlation of 0.39, a moderate link.
Data as of 2026-08-27 · refreshed every trading day · weekly returns · methodology
How correlated are PFG and QQQ?
Over the past 3 years, PFG and QQQ moved with a correlation of 0.39, which is moderate. Recent behaviour matches the longer record: 0.32 over 1 year against 0.39 over 3. Over 5 years the correlation is 0.45, and the annualized covariance of weekly returns is 176.6 %².
By 3-year correlation, QQQ places #20 of the 32 assets tracked against PFG. Their recent paths diverged sharply: over the last 12 months PFG outperformed by 17.6 percentage points (+43.9% for PFG against +26.3% for QQQ). This link changes with the market regime, having swung between 0.06 and 0.60 on a rolling one-year basis.
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.
PFG vs QQQ: side by side
| PFG (Principal Financial Group) | QQQ (Invesco QQQ Trust) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year return | +43.9% | +26.3% |
| 5-year return | +99.7% | +95.4% |
| Volatility (ann.) | 22.9% | 19.6% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 0.88 | 1.28 |
| Max drawdown (3Y) | -22.4% | -22.8% |
| Market cap | $24.0B | – |
| P/E (trailing) | 16.0 | – |
| Dividend yield | 2.84% | 0.44% |
| Expense ratio | – | 0.18% |
| Assets under management | – | $452.8B |
| Sector / category | Financials | 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 | PFG | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +20.1% | -32.6% |
| 2023 | -2.8% | +54.9% |
| 2024 | +1.9% | +25.6% |
| 2025 | +18.4% | +20.8% |
| 2026 | +29.3% | +17.7% |
Calendar-year price returns; the current year is year-to-date as of the data date above.
Are PFG and QQQ good diversifiers for each other?
A fair diversifier. At 0.39, enough of each asset's movement is its own that the pair has smoothed outcomes historically.
FAQ
What is the correlation between PFG and QQQ?
As of 2026-08-27, the correlation of weekly returns between PFG and QQQ is 0.39 over 3 years, 0.32 over 1 year and 0.45 over 5 years.
Is QQQ a good diversifier for PFG?
A fair diversifier. At 0.39, enough of each asset's movement is its own that the pair has smoothed outcomes historically.
What does a correlation of 0.39 mean?
A reading of 0.39 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/pfg-vs-qqq.json
Embed this badge (it refreshes with the data), with attribution:
[](https://www.pairbook.io/pair/pfg-vs-qqq/)
No key needed, free to use. Full endpoint list in the API documentation.
Related comparisons
Hubs: PFG correlations · QQQ correlations
