PFL vs QQQ: Correlation
Measured on weekly returns over the past three years, PIMCO Income Strategy Fund Shares of Beneficial Interest (PFL) and Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) carry a correlation of 0.40, a moderate link.
Data as of 2026-08-27 · refreshed every trading day · weekly returns · methodology
How correlated are PFL and QQQ?
Across a 3-year window, the weekly returns of PFL and QQQ correlate at 0.40, moderate. Recent behaviour matches the longer record: 0.40 over 1 year against 0.40 over 3. Stretching to 5 years gives 0.46, with an annualized covariance of 92.7 %².
Within PFL's tracked universe of 22 assets, QQQ comes in at #15 by 3-year correlation. The last year tells two different stories: QQQ led by 25.2 percentage points, +1.1% for PFL against +26.3% for QQQ. Risk is not evenly split, since QQQ carries 1.6 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.
PFL vs QQQ: side by side
| PFL (PIMCO Income Strategy Fund Shares of Beneficial Interest) | QQQ (Invesco QQQ Trust) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year return | +1.1% | +26.3% |
| 5-year return | +1.9% | +95.4% |
| Volatility (ann.) | 12.0% | 19.6% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 0.39 | 1.28 |
| Max drawdown (3Y) | -11.1% | -22.8% |
| Market cap | – | – |
| P/E (trailing) | 9.6 | – |
| Dividend yield | 12.86% | 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 | PFL | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -18.0% | -32.6% |
| 2023 | +17.2% | +54.9% |
| 2024 | +11.4% | +25.6% |
| 2025 | +13.0% | +20.8% |
| 2026 | -2.2% | +17.7% |
Calendar-year price returns; the current year is year-to-date as of the data date above.
Are PFL and QQQ good diversifiers for each other?
A fair diversifier. At 0.40, enough of each asset's movement is its own that the pair has smoothed outcomes historically.
FAQ
What is the correlation between PFL and QQQ?
Using weekly returns as of 2026-08-27: 0.40 over 3 years, with 0.40 over the last year and 0.46 over 5 years.
Is QQQ a good diversifier for PFL?
A fair diversifier. At 0.40, enough of each asset's movement is its own that the pair has smoothed outcomes historically.
What does a correlation of 0.40 mean?
A reading of 0.40 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/pfl-vs-qqq.json
Embed this badge (it refreshes with the data), with attribution:
[](https://www.pairbook.io/pair/pfl-vs-qqq/)
No key needed, free to use. Full endpoint list in the API documentation.
Related comparisons
Hubs: PFL correlations · QQQ correlations
