WikiInstruments & WatchlistCorrelation Analysis

Correlation Analysis

The Correlation page computes Pearson correlation coefficients between the daily returns of selected instruments over a configurable time window.

Correlation Coefficient

ValueMeaning
+0.7 to +1.0Strong positive correlation - instruments tend to move together
+0.3 to +0.69Moderate positive correlation
-0.29 to +0.29Weak or no correlation - instruments move independently
-0.69 to -0.3Moderate negative correlation
-1.0 to -0.7Strong negative correlation - instruments tend to move in opposite directions

How to Interpret

  • Diversification: A well-diversified portfolio should contain instruments with low or negative correlations. If all your holdings are strongly correlated (+0.8+), a single adverse event could impact your entire portfolio simultaneously.
  • Pair identification: Strongly correlated pairs may present mean-reversion opportunities when they temporarily diverge.
  • Risk concentration: If your portfolio shows high average correlation, your effective diversification is lower than the number of holdings suggests.

Time Window

The default window is 30 days. Shorter windows (7-14 days) capture recent regime changes; longer windows (90-180 days) show structural relationships. Correlations are not static, so they should be monitored regularly.