USO vs VT: Correlation
How closely do United States Oil Fund (USO) and Vanguard Total World Stock ETF (VT) trade together? Their weekly returns over three years give a correlation of -0.16, which is negative.
Data as of 2026-08-27 · refreshed every trading day · weekly returns · methodology
How correlated are USO and VT?
On 3 years of weekly data the USO/VT correlation comes out at -0.16, negative, meaning they tend to move in opposite directions. The link has loosened recently: the 1-year correlation (-0.44) runs below the 3-year figure (-0.16). The 5-year figure is 0.01, and annualized covariance runs at -86.3 %².
By 3-year correlation, VT places #33 of the 165 assets tracked against USO. Correlation aside, the last 12 months split them widely, with USO ahead by 51.4 points (+74.1% versus +22.7%). Do not treat this figure as fixed: across three years the rolling one-year correlation ranged all the way from -0.48 to 0.33. One caveat on sizing: USO is 2.8 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.
USO vs VT: side by side
| USO (United States Oil Fund) | VT (Vanguard Total World Stock ETF) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year return | +74.1% | +22.7% |
| 5-year return | +168.6% | +67.7% |
| Volatility (ann.) | 39.4% | 13.9% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | -0.20 | 0.92 |
| Max drawdown (3Y) | -32.5% | -16.5% |
| Dividend yield | – | 1.59% |
| Expense ratio | – | 0.06% |
| Assets under management | – | $97.9B |
| Sector / category | ETF · Commodities | ETF · Global |
VT is a Global Large-Stock Blend fund from Vanguard: $97.9B under management, 5308 holdings, a 0.06% expense ratio, a 1.59% trailing dividend yield.
Year-by-year returns
| Year | USO | VT |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +29.0% | -18.0% |
| 2023 | -4.9% | +22.0% |
| 2024 | +13.4% | +16.5% |
| 2025 | -8.5% | +22.4% |
| 2026 | +88.0% | +15.2% |
Calendar-year price returns; the current year is year-to-date as of the data date above.
Are USO and VT good diversifiers for each other?
Yes: at -0.16, the two have gone their own ways historically, which is what genuine diversification looks like.
FAQ
What is the correlation between USO and VT?
As of 2026-08-27, the correlation of weekly returns between USO and VT is -0.16 over 3 years, -0.44 over 1 year and 0.01 over 5 years.
Is VT a good diversifier for USO?
Yes: at -0.16, the two have gone their own ways historically, which is what genuine diversification looks like.
What does a correlation of -0.16 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/uso-vs-vt.json
Embed this badge (it refreshes with the data), with attribution:
[](https://www.pairbook.io/pair/uso-vs-vt/)
No key needed, free to use. Full endpoint list in the API documentation.
Related comparisons
Hubs: USO correlations · VT correlations
