VTI vs VXX: Correlation
Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) and iPath Series B S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN (VXX) show a negative relationship: their 3-year correlation of weekly returns is -0.80.
Data as of 2026-08-27 · refreshed every trading day · weekly returns · methodology
How correlated are VTI and VXX?
On 3 years of weekly data the VTI/VXX correlation comes out at -0.80, negative, meaning they tend to move in opposite directions. Little has changed lately, as the 1-year reading of -0.75 lands near the 3-year figure. The 5-year figure is -0.70, and annualized covariance runs at -709.5 %².
VXX is close to the least connected end of VTI's tracked universe, ranking #156 of 157. Their recent paths diverged sharply: over the last 12 months VTI outperformed by 70.4 percentage points (+20.7% for VTI against -49.7% for VXX). Risk is not evenly split, since VXX carries 4.2 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.
VTI vs VXX: side by side
| VTI (Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF) | VXX (iPath Series B S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year return | +20.7% | -49.7% |
| 5-year return | +74.8% | -95.6% |
| Volatility (ann.) | 14.6% | 60.9% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 1.01 | -3.31 |
| Max drawdown (3Y) | -19.3% | -83.3% |
| Market cap | – | – |
| P/E (trailing) | – | – |
| Dividend yield | 1.06% | 0.00% |
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | – |
| Assets under management | $2,290.0B | – |
| Sector / category | ETF · US Large Cap | US Listed |
On the fund side, VTI sits in the Large Blend category at Vanguard, with $2,290.0B under management, 3140 holdings, a 0.03% expense ratio, a 1.06% trailing dividend yield.
Year-by-year returns
| Year | VTI | VXX |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -19.5% | -23.8% |
| 2023 | +26.0% | -72.5% |
| 2024 | +23.8% | -26.2% |
| 2025 | +17.1% | -42.2% |
| 2026 | +14.2% | -31.6% |
Calendar-year price returns; the current year is year-to-date as of the data date above.
Are VTI and VXX good diversifiers for each other?
Yes. With a correlation of -0.80, VTI and VXX have moved largely independently, which makes them a genuinely diversifying pair by historical standards.
FAQ
What is the correlation between VTI and VXX?
Using weekly returns as of 2026-08-27: -0.80 over 3 years, with -0.75 over the last year and -0.70 over 5 years.
Is VXX a good diversifier for VTI?
Yes. With a correlation of -0.80, VTI and VXX have moved largely independently, which makes them a genuinely diversifying pair by historical standards.
What does a correlation of -0.80 mean?
A reading of -0.80 sits on a scale from −1 (opposite moves) through 0 (unrelated) to +1 (identical moves). Correlation captures direction, not magnitude or performance.
Use this data
$ curl https://www.pairbook.io/api/v1/pairs/vti-vs-vxx.json
Drop this badge in a README or notebook; it updates with the data:
[](https://www.pairbook.io/pair/vti-vs-vxx/)
Free with attribution; caching and terms are described in the API documentation.
Related comparisons
Hubs: VTI correlations · VXX correlations
