SPY vs WRLD: Correlation
How closely do SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) and World Acceptance Corporation (WRLD) trade together? Their weekly returns over three years give a correlation of 0.40, which is moderate.
Data as of 2026-08-27 · refreshed every trading day · weekly returns · methodology
How correlated are SPY and WRLD?
On 3 years of weekly data the SPY/WRLD correlation comes out at 0.40, moderate. Lately the two have drifted apart, with the 1-year correlation at -0.04 versus 0.40 over 3 years. The 5-year figure is 0.46, and annualized covariance runs at 244.2 %².
By 3-year correlation, WRLD places #1195 of the 4755 assets tracked against SPY. The trailing year gives SPY the advantage: +20.6% versus +10.3%, a 10.3-point spread. One caveat on sizing: WRLD is 2.9 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 WRLD: side by side
| SPY (SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust) | WRLD (World Acceptance Corporation) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year return | +20.6% | +10.3% |
| 5-year return | +82.4% | +0.7% |
| Volatility (ann.) | 14.5% | 42.1% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 1.00 | 1.17 |
| Max drawdown (3Y) | -18.8% | -37.3% |
| Market cap | – | $0.9B |
| P/E (trailing) | – | 24.1 |
| Dividend yield | 1.01% | 0.00% |
| 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 | WRLD |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -18.2% | -73.1% |
| 2023 | +26.2% | +98.0% |
| 2024 | +24.9% | -13.9% |
| 2025 | +17.7% | +24.9% |
| 2026 | +13.7% | +35.4% |
Calendar-year price returns; the current year is year-to-date as of the data date above.
Are SPY and WRLD good diversifiers for each other?
A fair diversifier. At 0.40, enough of each asset's movement is its own that the pair has smoothed outcomes historically.
FAQ
What is the correlation between SPY and WRLD?
Using weekly returns as of 2026-08-27: 0.40 over 3 years, with -0.04 over the last year and 0.46 over 5 years.
Is WRLD a good diversifier for SPY?
A fair diversifier. At 0.40, enough of each asset's movement is its own that the pair has smoothed outcomes historically.
What does a correlation of 0.40 mean?
On the −1 to +1 scale, 0.40 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-wrld.json
Drop this badge in a README or notebook; it updates with the data:
[](https://www.pairbook.io/pair/spy-vs-wrld/)
No key needed, free to use. Full endpoint list in the API documentation.
Related comparisons
Hubs: SPY correlations · WRLD correlations
