SPY vs VRTS: Correlation
SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) and Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (VRTS) show a moderate relationship: their 3-year correlation of weekly returns is 0.48.
Data as of 2026-08-27 · refreshed every trading day · weekly returns · methodology
How correlated are SPY and VRTS?
On 3 years of weekly data the SPY/VRTS correlation comes out at 0.48, moderate. Lately the two have drifted apart, with the 1-year correlation at 0.25 versus 0.48 over 3 years. The 5-year figure is 0.61, and annualized covariance runs at 214.7 %².
Among the 4755 assets we track against SPY, VRTS ranks #555 by 3-year correlation. Their recent paths diverged sharply: over the last 12 months SPY outperformed by 32.4 percentage points (+20.6% for SPY against -11.8% for VRTS). Risk is not evenly split, since VRTS carries 2.1 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.
SPY vs VRTS: side by side
| SPY (SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust) | VRTS (Virtus Investment Partners, Inc.) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year return | +20.6% | -11.8% |
| 5-year return | +82.4% | -34.1% |
| Volatility (ann.) | 14.5% | 30.7% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 1.00 | 1.03 |
| Max drawdown (3Y) | -18.8% | -46.6% |
| Market cap | – | $1.1B |
| P/E (trailing) | – | 9.5 |
| Dividend yield | 1.01% | 5.74% |
| Expense ratio | 0.09% | – |
| Assets under management | $795.3B | – |
| Sector / category | ETF · US Large Cap | US Listed |
SPY is a Large Blend fund from State Street Investment Management: $795.3B under management, 504 holdings, a 0.09% expense ratio, a 1.01% trailing dividend yield.
Year-by-year returns
| Year | SPY | VRTS |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -18.2% | -33.5% |
| 2023 | +26.2% | +30.9% |
| 2024 | +24.9% | -5.6% |
| 2025 | +17.7% | -22.1% |
| 2026 | +13.7% | +7.3% |
Calendar-year price returns; the current year is year-to-date as of the data date above.
Are SPY and VRTS good diversifiers for each other?
Reasonably. At 0.48, SPY and VRTS keep a meaningful degree of independence, and combining them has historically reduced portfolio volatility.
FAQ
What is the correlation between SPY and VRTS?
The SPY/VRTS correlation stands at 0.48 on a 3-year window (1 year: 0.25, 5 years: 0.61), computed from weekly returns as of 2026-08-27.
Is VRTS a good diversifier for SPY?
Reasonably. At 0.48, SPY and VRTS keep a meaningful degree of independence, and combining them has historically reduced portfolio volatility.
What does a correlation of 0.48 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/spy-vs-vrts.json
Drop this badge in a README or notebook; it updates with the data:
[](https://www.pairbook.io/pair/spy-vs-vrts/)
Free with attribution; caching and terms are described in the API documentation.
Related comparisons
Hubs: SPY correlations · VRTS correlations
