PLAY vs QQQ: Correlation
How closely do Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. (PLAY) and Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) trade together? Their weekly returns over three years give a correlation of 0.19, which is weak.
Data as of 2026-08-27 · refreshed every trading day · weekly returns · methodology
How correlated are PLAY and QQQ?
Across a 3-year window, the weekly returns of PLAY and QQQ correlate at 0.19, weak. Little has changed lately, as the 1-year reading of 0.29 lands near the 3-year figure. Stretching to 5 years gives 0.29, with an annualized covariance of 238.7 %².
Among the 14 assets we track against PLAY, QQQ sits near the bottom by co-movement, at rank #11. Their recent paths diverged sharply: over the last 12 months QQQ outperformed by 90.2 percentage points (-63.9% for PLAY against +26.3% for QQQ). Note the risk asymmetry: PLAY runs 3.3 times the annualized volatility of the other leg, so equal-weighting the two is not an equal-risk position.
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.
PLAY vs QQQ: side by side
| PLAY (Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc.) | QQQ (Invesco QQQ Trust) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year return | -63.9% | +26.3% |
| 5-year return | -74.8% | +95.4% |
| Volatility (ann.) | 63.8% | 19.6% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 1.25 | 1.28 |
| Max drawdown (3Y) | -86.6% | -22.8% |
| Market cap | $0.3B | – |
| P/E (trailing) | – | – |
| 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 | PLAY | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -7.7% | -32.6% |
| 2023 | +51.9% | +54.9% |
| 2024 | -45.8% | +25.6% |
| 2025 | -44.5% | +20.8% |
| 2026 | -43.4% | +17.7% |
Calendar-year price returns; the current year is year-to-date as of the data date above.
Are PLAY and QQQ good diversifiers for each other?
Yes: at 0.19, the two have gone their own ways historically, which is what genuine diversification looks like.
FAQ
What is the correlation between PLAY and QQQ?
Using weekly returns as of 2026-08-27: 0.19 over 3 years, with 0.29 over the last year and 0.29 over 5 years.
Is QQQ a good diversifier for PLAY?
Yes: at 0.19, the two have gone their own ways historically, which is what genuine diversification looks like.
What does a correlation of 0.19 mean?
Correlation ranges from −1 to +1. Values near +1 mean two assets move together, near 0 that they move independently, and negative values that they tend to move in opposite directions. It measures co-movement, not performance.
Use this data
$ curl https://www.pairbook.io/api/v1/pairs/play-vs-qqq.json
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[](https://www.pairbook.io/pair/play-vs-qqq/)
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Related comparisons
Hubs: PLAY correlations · QQQ correlations