QQQ vs SST: Correlation
Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) and System1, Inc. (SST) show a weak relationship: their 3-year correlation of weekly returns is 0.10.
Data as of 2026-08-27 · refreshed every trading day · weekly returns · methodology
How correlated are QQQ and SST?
Across a 3-year window, the weekly returns of QQQ and SST correlate at 0.10, weak. The relationship has been stable: the 1-year correlation (0.08) sits close to the 3-year figure. Stretching to 5 years gives 0.09, with an annualized covariance of 300.3 %².
By 3-year correlation, SST places #3864 of the 4755 assets tracked against QQQ. The last year tells two different stories: QQQ led by 101.8 percentage points, +26.3% for QQQ against -75.5% for SST. Note the risk asymmetry: SST runs 7.8 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.
QQQ vs SST: side by side
| QQQ (Invesco QQQ Trust) | SST (System1, Inc.) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year return | +26.3% | -75.5% |
| 5-year return | +95.4% | -98.1% |
| Volatility (ann.) | 19.6% | 151.9% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 1.28 | 0.94 |
| Max drawdown (3Y) | -22.8% | -95.2% |
| Market cap | – | – |
| P/E (trailing) | – | – |
| Dividend yield | 0.44% | 0.00% |
| Expense ratio | 0.18% | – |
| Assets under management | $452.8B | – |
| Sector / category | ETF · US Growth & Tech | US Listed |
On the fund side, QQQ sits in the Large Growth category at Invesco, with $452.8B under management, 104 holdings, a 0.18% expense ratio, a 0.44% trailing dividend yield.
Year-by-year returns
| Year | QQQ | SST |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -32.6% | -52.9% |
| 2023 | +54.9% | -52.7% |
| 2024 | +25.6% | -59.5% |
| 2025 | +20.8% | -56.3% |
| 2026 | +17.7% | -52.6% |
Calendar-year price returns; the current year is year-to-date as of the data date above.
Are QQQ and SST good diversifiers for each other?
Yes. With a correlation of 0.10, QQQ and SST have moved largely independently, which makes them a genuinely diversifying pair by historical standards.
FAQ
What is the correlation between QQQ and SST?
The QQQ/SST correlation stands at 0.10 on a 3-year window (1 year: 0.08, 5 years: 0.09), computed from weekly returns as of 2026-08-27.
Is SST a good diversifier for QQQ?
Yes. With a correlation of 0.10, QQQ and SST have moved largely independently, which makes them a genuinely diversifying pair by historical standards.
What does a correlation of 0.10 mean?
On the −1 to +1 scale, 0.10 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/qqq-vs-sst.json
Markdown for the live badge, attribution link included:
[](https://www.pairbook.io/pair/qqq-vs-sst/)
The core API is free. Terms and every endpoint in the API documentation.
Related comparisons
Hubs: QQQ correlations · SST correlations