Chapter 8

Risk and
Return

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All rights reserved.
 Risk and Return Fundamentals:
Risk Defined
• Risk is a measure of the uncertainty surrounding the
return that an investment will earn or, more formally, the
variability of returns associated with a given asset.
• Return is the total gain or loss experienced on an
investment over a given period of time; calculated by
dividing the asset’s cash distributions during the period,
plus change in value, by its beginning-of-period
investment value.

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 Risk and Return Fundamentals:
Risk Defined (cont.)
The expression for calculating the total rate of return earned on any
asset over period t, rt, is commonly defined as

where
rt = actual, expected, or required rate of return during period t
Ct = cash (flow) received from the asset investment in the time
period t – 1 to t
Pt = price (value) of asset at time t
Pt – 1 = price (value) of asset at time t – 1

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 Risk and Return Fundamentals:
Risk Defined (cont.)
At the beginning of the year, Apple stock traded for $90.75 per share,
and Wal-Mart was valued at $55.33. During the year, Apple paid no
dividends, but Wal-Mart shareholders received dividends of $1.09 per
share. At the end of the year, Apple stock was worth $210.73 and
Wal-Mart sold for $52.84.
We can calculate the annual rate of return, r, for each stock.
Apple: ($0 + $210.73 – $90.75) ÷ $90.75 = 132.2%

Wal-Mart: ($1.09 + $52.84 – $55.33) ÷ $55.33 = –2.5%

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 Table 8.1 Historical Returns on
Selected Investments (1900–2009)

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 Risk and Return Fundamentals:
Risk Preferences
Economists use three categories to describe how investors
respond to risk.
– Risk averse is the attitude toward risk in which investors would
require an increased return as compensation for an increase in
risk.
– Risk-neutral is the attitude toward risk in which investors
choose the investment with the higher return regardless of its
risk.
– Risk-seeking is the attitude toward risk in which investors
prefer investments with greater risk even if they have lower
expected returns.

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 Risk of a Single Asset:
Risk Assessment
• Scenario analysis is an approach for assessing risk that
uses several possible alternative outcomes (scenarios) to
obtain a sense of the variability among returns.
– One common method involves considering pessimistic (worst),
most likely (expected), and optimistic (best) outcomes and the
returns associated with them for a given asset.
• Range is a measure of an asset’s risk, which is found by
subtracting the return associated with the pessimistic
(worst) outcome from the return associated with the
optimistic (best) outcome.

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 Risk of a Single Asset:
Risk Assessment (cont.)
Norman Company wants to choose the better of two investments, A and B.
Each requires an initial outlay of $10,000 and each has a most likely annual
rate of return of 15%. Management has estimated the returns associated with
each investment. Asset A appears to be less risky than asset B. The risk
averse decision maker would prefer asset A over asset B, because A offers
the same most likely return with a lower range (risk).

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 Risk of a Single Asset:
Risk Assessment
• Probability is the chance that a given outcome will occur.
• A probability distribution is a model that relates
probabilities to the associated outcomes.
• A bar chart is the simplest type of probability
distribution; shows only a limited number of outcomes
and associated probabilities for a given event.
• A continuous probability distribution is a probability
distribution showing all the possible outcomes and
associated probabilities for a given event.

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 Risk of a Single Asset:
Risk Assessment (cont.)
Norman Company’s past estimates indicate that the
probabilities of the pessimistic, most likely, and optimistic
outcomes are 25%, 50%, and 25%, respectively. Note that
the sum of these probabilities must equal 100%; that is, they
must be based on all the alternatives considered.

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 Figure 8.1 Bar charts for asset
A’s and asset B’s returns

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 Figure 8.2 Continuous
Probability Distributions

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 Risk of a Single Asset:
Risk Measurement
• Standard deviation (r) is the most common statistical indicator of
an asset’s risk; it measures the dispersion around the expected
value.
• Expected value of a return (r) is the average return that an
investment is expected to produce over time.

where
rj = return for the jth outcome
Prt = probability of occurrence of the jth outcome
n = number of outcomes considered

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 Table 8.3 Expected Values of
Returns for Assets A and B

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 Risk of a Single Asset:
Standard Deviation
The expression for the standard deviation of returns,
r, is

In general, the higher the standard deviation, the

greater the risk.

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 Table 8.4a The Calculation of the Standard
Deviation of the Returns for Assets A and B

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 Table 8.4b The Calculation of the Standard
Deviation of the Returns for Assets A and B

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 Table 8.5 Historical Returns and Standard Deviations on
Selected Investments (1900–2009)

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 Matter of Fact

All Stocks Are Not Created Equal

– Stocks are riskier than bonds, but are some stocks riskier than
others?
– A recent study examined the historical returns of large stocks
and small stocks and found that the average annual return on
large stocks from 1926-2009 was 11.8%, while small stocks
earned 16.7% per year on average.
– The higher returns on small stocks came with a cost, however.
– The standard deviation of small stock returns was a whopping
32.8%, whereas the standard deviation on large stocks was just
20.5%.

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 Figure 8.3
Bell-Shaped Curve

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 Risk of a Single Asset:
Standard Deviation (cont.)
Using the data in Table 8.2 and assuming that the probability
distributions of returns for common stocks and bonds are
normal, we can surmise that:
– 68% of the possible outcomes would have a return ranging
between 11.1% and 29.7% for stocks and between –5.2% and
15.2% for bonds
– 95% of the possible return outcomes would range between –
31.5% and 50.1% for stocks and between –15.4% and 25.4% for
bonds
– The greater risk of stocks is clearly reflected in their much wider
range of possible returns for each level of confidence (68% or
95%).

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 Risk of a Single Asset:
Coefficient of Variation
• The coefficient of variation, CV, is a measure of relative
dispersion that is useful in comparing the risks of assets
with differing expected returns.

• A higher coefficient of variation means that an investment

has more volatility relative to its expected return.

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 Risk of a Single Asset:
Coefficient of Variation (cont.)
Using the standard deviations (from Table 8.4) and
the expected returns (from Table 8.3) for assets A
and B to calculate the coefficients of variation yields
the following:
CVA = 1.41% ÷ 15% = 0.094
CVB = 5.66% ÷ 15% = 0.377

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 Personal Finance Example

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 Personal Finance Example
(cont.)
Assuming that the returns are equally probable:

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 Risk of a Portfolio

• In real-world situations, the risk of any single

investment would not be viewed independently of
other assets.
• New investments must be considered in light of
their impact on the risk and return of an investor’s
portfolio of assets.
• The financial manager’s goal is to create an
efficient portfolio, a portfolio that maximum
return for a given level of risk.

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 Risk of a Portfolio: Portfolio
Return and Standard Deviation
The return on a portfolio is a weighted average of the
returns on the individual assets from which it is formed.

where
wj = proportion of the portfolio’s total
dollar value represented by asset j
rj = return on asset j

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 Risk of a Portfolio: Portfolio
Return and Standard Deviation
James purchases 100 shares of Wal-Mart at a price of $55
per share, so his total investment in Wal-Mart is $5,500. He
also buys 100 shares of Cisco Systems at $25 per share, so
the total investment in Cisco stock is $2,500.
– Combining these two holdings, James’ total portfolio is worth
$8,000.
– Of the total, 68.75% is invested in Wal-Mart ($5,500/$8,000)
and 31.25% is invested in Cisco Systems ($2,500/$8,000).
– Thus, w1 = 0.6875, w2 = 0.3125, and w1 + w2 = 1.0.

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 Table 8.6a Expected Return, Expected Value,
and Standard Deviation of Returns for
Portfolio XY

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 Table 8.6b Expected Return, Expected Value,
and Standard Deviation of Returns for
Portfolio XY

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 Risk of a Portfolio: Correlation

• Correlation is a statistical measure of the relationship between any

two series of numbers.
– Positively correlated describes two series that move in the same direction.
– Negatively correlated describes two series that move in opposite directions.
• The correlation coefficient is a measure of the degree of
correlation between two series.
– Perfectly positively correlated describes two positively correlated series
that have a correlation coefficient of +1.
– Perfectly negatively correlated describes two negatively correlated series
that have a correlation coefficient of –1.

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 Figure 8.4 Correlations

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 Risk of a Portfolio:
Diversification
• To reduce overall risk, it is best to diversify by
combining, or adding to the portfolio, assets that have the
lowest possible correlation.
• Combining assets that have a low correlation with each
other can reduce the overall variability of a portfolio’s
returns.
• Uncorrelated describes two series that lack any
interaction and therefore have a correlation coefficient
close to zero.

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 Risk and Return: The Capital
Asset Pricing Model (CAPM)
• The capital asset pricing model (CAPM) is the basic theory that
links risk and return for all assets.
• The CAPM quantifies the relationship between risk and return.
• In other words, it measures how much additional return an investor
should expect from taking a little extra risk.

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 Risk and Return: The CAPM:
Types of Risk
• Total risk is the combination of a security’s nondiversifiable risk
and diversifiable risk.
• Diversifiable risk is the portion of an asset’s risk that is attributable
to firm-specific, random causes; can be eliminated through
diversification. Also called unsystematic risk.
• Nondiversifiable risk is the relevant portion of an asset’s risk
attributable to market factors that affect all firms; cannot be
eliminated through diversification. Also called systematic risk.
• Because any investor can create a portfolio of assets that will
eliminate virtually all diversifiable risk, the only relevant risk is
nondiversifiable risk.

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 Figure 8.7
Risk Reduction

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 Risk and Return: The CAPM

• The beta coefficient (b) is a relative measure of

nondiversifiable risk. An index of the degree of
movement of an asset’s return in response to a change in
the market return.
– An asset’s historical returns are used in finding the asset’s beta
coefficient.
– The beta coefficient for the entire market equals 1.0. All other
betas are viewed in relation to this value.
• The market return is the return on the market portfolio
of all traded securities.

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 Figure 8.8
Beta Derivation

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 Table 8.8 Selected Beta Coefficients
and Their Interpretations

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 Table 8.9 Beta Coefficients for
Selected Stocks (June 7, 2010)

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 Risk and Return: The CAPM
(cont.)
• The beta of a portfolio can be estimated by using the betas
of the individual assets it includes.
• Letting wj represent the proportion of the portfolio’s total
dollar value represented by asset j, and letting bj equal the
beta of asset j, we can use the following equation to find
the portfolio beta, bp:

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 Table 8.10 Mario Austino’s
Portfolios V and W

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 Risk and Return: The CAPM
(cont.)
The betas for the two portfolios, bv and bw, can be calculated
as follows:

bv = (0.10  1.65) + (0.30  1.00) + (0.20  1.30) +

(0.20  1.10) + (0.20  1.25)
= 0.165 + 0.300 +0 .260 + 0.220 + 0.250 = 1.195 ≈ 1.20

bw = (0.10  .80) + (0.10  1.00) + (0.20  .65) + (0.10  .75) +

(0.50  1.05)
= 0.080 + 0.100 + 0.130 +0 .075 + 0.525 = 0.91

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 Risk and Return: The CAPM
(cont.)
Using the beta coefficient to measure nondiversifiable risk,
the capital asset pricing model (CAPM) is given in the
following equation:
rj = RF + [bj  (rm – RF)]
where
rt = required return on asset j
RF = risk-free rate of return, commonly measured by the return
on a U.S. Treasury bill
bj = beta coefficient or index of nondiversifiable risk for asset j
rm = market return; return on the market portfolio of assets

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 Risk and Return: The CAPM
(cont.)
The CAPM can be divided into two parts:
1. The risk-free rate of return, (RF) which is the required return
on a risk-free asset, typically a 3-month U.S. Treasury bill.
2. The risk premium.
• The (rm – RF) portion of the risk premium is called the market risk
premium, because it represents the premium the investor must receive
for taking the average amount of risk associated with holding the
market portfolio of assets.

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 Risk and Return: The CAPM
(cont.)
Historical Risk Premium

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 Risk and Return: The CAPM
(cont.)
Benjamin Corporation, a growing computer software developer,
wishes to determine the required return on asset Z, which has a beta
of 1.5. The risk-free rate of return is 7%; the return on the market
portfolio of assets is 11%. Substituting bZ = 1.5, RF = 7%, and
rm = 11% into the CAPM yields a return of:

rZ = 7% + [1.5  (11% – 7%)] = 7% + 6% = 13%

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 Risk and Return: The CAPM
(cont.)
• The security market line (SML) is the depiction of the
capital asset pricing model (CAPM) as a graph that
reflects the required return in the marketplace for each
level of nondiversifiable risk (beta).
• It reflects the required return in the marketplace for each
level of nondiversifiable risk (beta).
• In the graph, risk as measured by beta, b, is plotted on the
x axis, and required returns, r, are plotted on the y axis.

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 Figure 8.9
Security Market Line

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 Figure 8.10
Inflation Shifts SML

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 Figure 8.11
Risk Aversion Shifts SML

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 Risk and Return: The CAPM
(cont.)
• The CAPM relies on historical data which means the betas may or
may not actually reflect the future variability of returns.
• Therefore, the required returns specified by the model should be
used only as rough approximations.
• The CAPM assumes markets are efficient.
• Although the perfect world of efficient markets appears to be
unrealistic, studies have provided support for the existence of the
expectational relationship described by the CAPM in active
markets such as the NYSE.

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