SPY vs VERU: Correlation
How closely do SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) and Veru Inc. (VERU) trade together? Their weekly returns over three years give a correlation of 0.06, which is near-zero.
Data as of 2026-08-27 · refreshed every trading day · weekly returns · methodology
How correlated are SPY and VERU?
Across a 3-year window, the weekly returns of SPY and VERU correlate at 0.06, near zero, meaning they move largely independently. The relationship has been stable: the 1-year correlation (0.13) sits close to the 3-year figure. Stretching to 5 years gives 0.00, with an annualized covariance of 78.1 %².
By 3-year correlation, VERU places #4356 of the 4755 assets tracked against SPY. Their recent paths diverged sharply: over the last 12 months SPY outperformed by 37.3 percentage points (+20.6% for SPY against -16.7% for VERU). One caveat on sizing: VERU is 6.5 times as volatile as the other leg, so an equal-dollar split is far from equal-risk.
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.
SPY vs VERU: side by side
| SPY (SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust) | VERU (Veru Inc.) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year return | +20.6% | -16.7% |
| 5-year return | +82.4% | -96.9% |
| Volatility (ann.) | 14.5% | 94.7% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 1.00 | 0.37 |
| Max drawdown (3Y) | -18.8% | -88.3% |
| Market cap | – | – |
| P/E (trailing) | – | – |
| Dividend yield | 1.01% | 0.00% |
| Expense ratio | 0.09% | – |
| Assets under management | $795.3B | – |
| Sector / category | ETF · US Large Cap | US Listed |
SPY, State Street Investment Management's Large Blend fund, carries $795.3B under management, 504 holdings, a 0.09% expense ratio, a 1.01% trailing dividend yield.
Year-by-year returns
| Year | SPY | VERU |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -18.2% | -10.4% |
| 2023 | +26.2% | -86.4% |
| 2024 | +24.9% | -9.7% |
| 2025 | +17.7% | -67.1% |
| 2026 | +13.7% | +28.0% |
Calendar-year price returns; the current year is year-to-date as of the data date above.
Are SPY and VERU good diversifiers for each other?
Yes: at 0.06, the two have gone their own ways historically, which is what genuine diversification looks like.
FAQ
What is the correlation between SPY and VERU?
As of 2026-08-27, the correlation of weekly returns between SPY and VERU is 0.06 over 3 years, 0.13 over 1 year and 0.00 over 5 years.
Is VERU a good diversifier for SPY?
Yes: at 0.06, the two have gone their own ways historically, which is what genuine diversification looks like.
What does a correlation of 0.06 mean?
On the −1 to +1 scale, 0.06 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/spy-vs-veru.json
Drop this badge in a README or notebook; it updates with the data:
[](https://www.pairbook.io/pair/spy-vs-veru/)
No key needed, free to use. Full endpoint list in the API documentation.
Related comparisons
Hubs: SPY correlations · VERU correlations