QQQ vs VLT: Correlation
Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) and Invesco High Income Trust II (VLT) show a moderate relationship: their 3-year correlation of weekly returns is 0.59.
Data as of 2026-08-27 · refreshed every trading day · weekly returns · methodology
How correlated are QQQ and VLT?
Over the past 3 years, QQQ and VLT moved with a correlation of 0.59, which is moderate. Recent behaviour matches the longer record: 0.64 over 1 year against 0.59 over 3. Over 5 years the correlation is 0.58, and the annualized covariance of weekly returns is 115.0 %².
Within QQQ's tracked universe of 4755 assets, VLT comes in at #149 by 3-year correlation. Their recent paths diverged sharply: over the last 12 months QQQ outperformed by 27.6 percentage points (+26.3% for QQQ against -1.3% for VLT). Note the risk asymmetry: QQQ runs 2.0 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 VLT: side by side
| QQQ (Invesco QQQ Trust) | VLT (Invesco High Income Trust II) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year return | +26.3% | -1.3% |
| 5-year return | +95.4% | +12.4% |
| Volatility (ann.) | 19.6% | 10.0% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 1.28 | 0.47 |
| Max drawdown (3Y) | -22.8% | -13.4% |
| Market cap | – | – |
| P/E (trailing) | – | 13.9 |
| Dividend yield | 0.44% | 11.52% |
| 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 | VLT |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -32.6% | -20.9% |
| 2023 | +54.9% | +13.1% |
| 2024 | +25.6% | +17.3% |
| 2025 | +20.8% | +13.2% |
| 2026 | +17.7% | -4.9% |
Calendar-year price returns; the current year is year-to-date as of the data date above.
Are QQQ and VLT good diversifiers for each other?
Only partially. A correlation of 0.59 means QQQ and VLT share most of their swings. Pairing them dampens volatility somewhat, but it will not protect against a common drawdown.
FAQ
What is the correlation between QQQ and VLT?
Using weekly returns as of 2026-08-27: 0.59 over 3 years, with 0.64 over the last year and 0.58 over 5 years.
Is VLT a good diversifier for QQQ?
Only partially. A correlation of 0.59 means QQQ and VLT share most of their swings. Pairing them dampens volatility somewhat, but it will not protect against a common drawdown.
What does a correlation of 0.59 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/qqq-vs-vlt.json
Markdown for the live badge, attribution link included:
[](https://www.pairbook.io/pair/qqq-vs-vlt/)
No key needed, free to use. Full endpoint list in the API documentation.
Related comparisons
Hubs: QQQ correlations · VLT correlations
