Risk and Mean-Variance Analysis Quiz
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Questions and Answers

What is the risk premium defined as?

  • Rate of return with certainty
  • Expected return in excess of risk-free securities (correct)
  • The average return on all securities
  • Standard deviation of portfolio excess returns

    • What does the Sharpe ratio help to achieve in portfolio ranking?

  • It ranks portfolios by expected return only
  • It ranks portfolios based on risk-adjusted return (correct)
  • It evaluates only the risk-free rate
  • It measures portfolio volatility alone

    • Which of the following correctly expresses the formula for portfolio risk premium?

  • SP = E(rp) - rf (correct)
  • SP = rf / E(rp)
  • SP = σP / E(rp)
  • SP = E(rp) + rf

    • What does risk aversion refer to?

    <p>Reluctance to accept risk</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the standard deviation of portfolio excess returns measure?

    <p>Risk or volatility of the portfolio's excess return</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In time series return analysis, what does the variance formula help to estimate?

    <p>Dispersion of returns from their average</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does effective asset allocation aim to balance?

    <p>Risk and expected return</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following statements is incorrect regarding excess return?

    <p>It represents total returns from a portfolio</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of the Value at Risk (VaR) measure?

    <p>Assess the worst potential loss given a certain probability.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How is the Sharpe Ratio defined?

    <p>Ratio of portfolio risk premium to standard deviation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In the context of risk and return, what does kurtosis measure?

    <p>The likelihood of extreme outcomes in a distribution.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How can normally distributed returns over very short time periods be treated?

    <p>As normal distributions for HPRs up to 1 month.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What role do continuously compounded rates play in normality?

    <p>They are essential when normality is crucial in return calculations.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does skewness indicate in a probability distribution?

    <p>The symmetry or asymmetry of the distribution.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which formula transforms normally distributed return into a standard deviation score?

    <p>$s_{ri} = \frac{r_i - E(r_i)}{σ_i}$</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a characteristic of normality in return distributions?

    <p>It allows for simplified calculations in risk assessment.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the expected return of the complete portfolio depend on?

    <p>The percentage of assets in the risky portfolio and the return on the risk-free asset</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How is the standard deviation of the complete portfolio calculated?

    <p>It is the product of the risky portfolio's standard deviation and the percentage assets in the risky portfolio</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the Capital Allocation Line (CAL) represent?

    <p>The variety of risk-return combinations available by altering allocations between risky and risk-free assets</p> Signup and view all the answers

    When assessing risk aversion in capital allocation, which ratio is significant?

    <p>Available risk premium to variance ratio</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What characterizes a passive investment strategy?

    <p>Avoidance of security analysis in selecting investments</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is described by the Capital Market Line (CML)?

    <p>A capital allocation line using the market-index portfolio as the risky asset</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In mean-variance analysis, what does the Sharpe Ratio measure?

    <p>The excess return per unit of risk taken</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How is the risk premium defined in the context of portfolio analysis?

    <p>The difference between the total portfolio return and the risk-free return</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which portfolio consists of both risky and risk-free assets?

    <p>Complete Portfolio</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is categorized as the risk-free asset?

    <p>Treasury Bonds</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which group includes the smallest 20% of stocks traded in the U.S. markets?

    <p>Small Stocks</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which index serves as a benchmark for U.S. Treasury bonds?

    <p>Barclay's Long-Term Treasury Bond Index</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary consideration when making capital allocation decisions?

    <p>Choice between risky and risk-free assets</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What kind of bonds are described as 'price-indexed' and provide a level of protection against inflation?

    <p>Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which risk is substantially lower compared to most assets, making them nearly risk-free?

    <p>Certificates of Deposit (CDs)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which investment class represents the largest 500 companies in the U.S. by market capitalization?

    <p>U.S. Large Cap Stocks</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does kurtosis indicate in relation to a probability distribution?

    <p>The likelihood of extreme outcomes</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following scenarios exemplifies the concept of Value at Risk (VaR)?

    <p>An investor expects a maximum loss of 10% with 90% confidence over one month.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How is the original return computed from the standard normal return?

    <p>By adding the expected return to the product of the standard deviation score and the original return.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary measurement concern when evaluating returns over very short time periods?

    <p>The likelihood of the returns being normally distributed.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In the context of risk assessment, what do skewness measurements provide insight into?

    <p>The symmetry of the return distribution.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the price of risk represent?

    <p>Ratio of risk premium to variance</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In mean-variance analysis, what is the significance of the Sharpe ratio?

    <p>It compares the expected return with the risk-free rate</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which statement accurately describes excess return?

    <p>It is the total return minus the risk-free rate.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does risk aversion imply about an investor's behavior?

    <p>They tend to avoid risky assets even if they provide higher returns.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How is the variance of returns calculated according to the provided formula?

    <p>The average of squared deviations from the mean divided by total periods</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does a higher Sharpe ratio indicate about a portfolio?

    <p>It provides better return for the amount of risk taken.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the standard deviation of portfolio excess return signify?

    <p>The risk associated with the portfolio's expected return.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In the context of risk and return, what would be considered a risk-free rate?

    <p>The rate of return on government treasury bills.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does scenario analysis in return estimation involve?

    <p>Using past performance to predict future outcomes.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the geometric average of returns represent?

    <p>The overall growth rate over multiple periods</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How is the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) calculated?

    <p>By multiplying the per-period rate by the number of periods in a year</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the Effective Annual Rate (EAR) take into account that the APR does not?

    <p>The effect of compounding on investment growth</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In continuous compounding, how is the EAR derived from the APR?

    <p>EAR = e^(APR) - 1</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which formula correctly expresses the EAR for n periods of compounding?

    <p>EAR = (1 + APR/n)^(n) - 1</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What aspect does the dollar-weighted average return represent?

    <p>The mean return based on the size of the investment</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following statements about compounding is true?

    <p>The more frequent the compounding, the higher the EAR.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which statement best describes the relationship between APR and EAR?

    <p>APR can never exceed EAR because it ignores compounding.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    If an investment has an effective annual rate of 10% and is compounded semi-annually, what is the annual percentage rate (APR)?

    <p>9.71%</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the holding-period return (HPR) measure?

    <p>The overall profitability of an investment during a given period</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the formula for calculating the arithmetic average return?

    <p>rArithmetic = (r1 + r2 + r3 + r4)/4</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following returns is used to determine cumulative performance over time?

    <p>Geometric average return</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is included in the calculation of the holding-period return (HPR)?

    <p>Both capital gains and dividends received</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How is the dollar-weighted average return best defined?

    <p>It reflects the internal rate of return on the actual investment</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In the HPR example given, what is the calculated percent return based on the provided figures?

    <p>13%</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the key difference between the arithmetic and geometric average returns?

    <p>Arithmetic is for single periods, geometric is for multiple periods</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the formula for calculating the HPR?

    <p>HPR = (PEnding - PBeginning) / PBeginning + DivCash</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the term 'capital gains yield' refer to within HPR?

    <p>The increase in market value of the investment</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the geometric average of returns provide in terms of investment performance?

    <p>The single period return equivalent to cumulative performance</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following statements about APR and EAR is correct?

    <p>EAR is derived from APR and reflects the growth of an investment accounting for compounding</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How is the Effective Annual Rate (EAR) calculated under continuous compounding?

    <p>EAR = e^{APR} - 1</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What characterizes the dollar-weighted average return?

    <p>It reflects the internal rate of return on an investment considering cash flows</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which formula correctly represents the annualization of the Effective Annual Rate (EAR)?

    <p>APR = [(EAR + 1)^{1/n} - 1] × n</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the formula for computing the geometric average return imply about its application?

    <p>It effectively smooths out volatility within the return series</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What key difference exists between APR and EAR in terms of investment calculations?

    <p>EAR reflects actual growth of an investment unlike APR</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which component is crucial for determining the Effective Annual Rate (EAR) when compounding occurs multiple times within a year?

    <p>The number of investment periods per year</p> Signup and view all the answers

    When calculating the dollar-weighted average return, which factor significantly influences the outcome?

    <p>The timing of cash flows</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In the context of compounding rates, what does 'n' represent in the EAR computation formula?

    <p>The number of compounding periods in a year</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does a higher price of risk indicate about an investor's expectation?

    <p>Increased expected returns for given risk levels</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following accurately describes variance in the context of time series returns?

    <p>The sum of the squared deviations from the mean, adjusted for sample size</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What role does the Sharpe ratio play in mean-variance analysis?

    <p>It measures the performance of a portfolio relative to a risk-free asset</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In portfolio analysis, what does a negative risk premium suggest about an investment?

    <p>It implies that expected returns are lower than the risk-free rate</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the standard deviation of portfolio excess return represent?

    <p>The variability of active portfolio performance compared to risk-free securities</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How does risk aversion typically influence an investor's asset allocation?

    <p>It promotes a preference for a higher proportion of risk-free assets</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In the context of calculating risk premiums, what is the interpretation of the formula $E(r_p) - r_f$?

    <p>The expected excess return over the risk-free rate</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does scenario analysis derive from in the evaluation of investment returns?

    <p>Sample histories of past returns to inform future risks</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the formula to compute the real interest rate based on nominal interest rate and inflation rate?

    <p>$1 + rReal = \frac{1 + rNom}{1 + i}$</p> Signup and view all the answers

    If an investment has a nominal return of 12% and the inflation rate is 3%, what is the real rate of return?

    <p>8.59%</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the Fisher Equation relate in economic analysis?

    <p>The nominal interest rate to real interest rate and expected inflation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In which scenario would you apply scenario analysis?

    <p>To evaluate multiple potential economic outcomes and their likelihoods</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following represents the expected return when dealing with probability distributions?

    <p>Mean value of potential outcomes</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What mathematical process allows the calculation of the standard deviation from variance?

    <p>Take the square root of the variance</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is typically included in a probability distribution when analyzing possible investment outcomes?

    <p>Possible outcomes along with their associated probabilities</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In the context of capital allocation, what does expected return signify?

    <p>The average return based on multiple scenarios</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What key information does variance provide regarding investment returns?

    <p>Measures the risk by reflecting the spread of return values</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of these is a fundamental concept in understanding interest rate adjustments due to inflation?

    <p>Higher inflation rates lead to higher nominal rates</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the measure of kurtosis indicate in a probability distribution?

    <p>The likelihood of extreme outcomes within the tails</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How is the original return calculated from the standard normal return and standard deviation?

    <p>$r_i = E(r_i) + s_{ri} \times \sigma_i$</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of Value at Risk (VaR) in a financial context?

    <p>To quantify the worst loss with a specified probability</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does skewness measure in a probability distribution?

    <p>The asymmetry of the probability distribution</p> Signup and view all the answers

    When are returns considered to be normally distributed, particularly in the context of holding period returns (HPRs)?

    <p>When assessed in very short time frames, up to 1 month</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How is the Holding-Period Return (HPR) calculated?

    <p>(PEnding − PBeginning + DivCash) / PBeginning</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the arithmetic average measure in the context of investment returns?

    <p>The sum of returns divided by the number of periods</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which factor does the geometric average of returns consider in its calculation?

    <p>The sequence of returns over time</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the internal rate of return in investment terms?

    <p>The dollar-weighted average return on investment</p> Signup and view all the answers

    If a stock was purchased for $30, sold for $32, and generated $2 in dividends, what is the HPR?

    <p>13.33%</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the term 'dividend yield' represent in the calculation of HPR?

    <p>The proportion of dividends to the initial investment price</p> Signup and view all the answers

    When discussing rates of return, what does a dollar-weighted average return focus on?

    <p>Proportional returns based on the amount invested</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Given the returns of 10%, 25%, -20%, and 20% over four years, what is the arithmetic average return?

    <p>8.75%</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the cumulative benefit of using the geometric average over the arithmetic average for investment returns?

    <p>It matches cumulative performance of actual returns</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Risk and Risk Premiums

    • Risk-free rate: The return rate earned with certainty.
    • Risk premium: The expected return exceeding the risk-free rate.
    • Excess return: Return surpassing the risk-free rate.
    • Risk aversion: Reluctance to accept risk.
    • Price of risk: Ratio of risk premium to variance.

    Mean-Variance Analysis

    • Used to rank portfolios using Sharpe ratios.
    • Sharpe Ratio = (Portfolio Risk Premium) / (Standard Deviation of Excess Returns)

    Historical Record & Time Series of Return

    • Uses historical data to calculate variance and standard deviation.
    • Scenario analysis is derived from historical returns.

    The Normal Distribution

    • Transforms a normally distributed return into a standard deviation score (Z-score).
    • Can calculate returns using the standard normal score and standard deviation.

    Normality over Time

    • Returns are normally distributed over short time periods (up to one month).
    • Using continuously compounded rates is advised for longer periods.

    Value at Risk (VaR)

    • Measures downside risk.
    • Represents the worst loss with a given probability (usually 1% or 5%).

    Deviation from Normality & Value at Risk

    • Kurtosis: Measures the "fatness" of a distribution's tails, indicating extreme outcome likelihood.
    • Skew: Measures the asymmetry of a distribution.
    • Sharpe Ratio: Measures portfolio risk premium to standard deviation.

    Portfolio Asset Allocation

    • Expected Return of the Complete Portfolio: E (rC ) = y  E (rp ) + (1 − y)  r f
    • Standard Deviation of the Complete Portfolio:  C = y  p

    Capital Allocation Line (CAL)

    • Plots the risk-return combinations achieved by varying allocations between risky and risk-free assets.

    Risk Aversion and Capital Allocation

    • Allocation (y) depends on risk aversion and the risk premium to variance ratio.

    Passive Strategies and the Capital Market Line (CML)

    • Passive strategies: Avoid security analysis and use market-index portfolios.
    • Capital Market Line (CML): Uses a market-index portfolio as the risky asset in a capital allocation line.

    Rates of Return

    • Holding-Period Return (HPR): Calculated using the ending price, beginning price, and dividends.
    • HPR is the sum of dividend yield and capital gains yield.
    • Arithmetic Average: Sum of returns divided by the number of periods.
    • Geometric Average: Single return that reflects the cumulative performance over multiple periods.
    • Dollar-Weighted Average Return: Internal rate of return on an investment.
    • Annual Percentage Rate (APR): Per-period rate multiplied by periods per year, ignoring compounding.
    • Effective Annual Rate (EAR): Actual rate of return taking into account compounding.

    Risk and Risk Premiums

    • Risk-Free Rate: Return earned with certainty.
    • Risk Premium: Expected return above the risk-free rate.
    • Excess Return: Return exceeding the risk-free rate.
    • Risk Aversion: Reluctance to accept risk.
    • Price of Risk: Ratio of risk premium to variance.
    • Mean-Variance Analysis: Ranking portfolios based on Sharpe ratios.
    • Sharpe Ratio: Measures the portfolio's excess return relative to its standard deviation.
    • Normal Distribution: Can be used to estimate potential return outcomes by converting them into standard deviation scores.
    • Value at Risk (VaR): Measures downside risk, the worst loss over a given period with a specific probability.
    • Kurtosis: Measures the "fatness" of distribution tails, indicating the likelihood of extreme outcomes.
    • Skewness: Measures the asymmetry of distribution, showing its potential for extreme outcomes on one side.

    Asset Allocation

    • Asset Allocation: Portfolio choices across different investment classes.
    • Complete Portfolio: The entire portfolio, including risky and risk-free assets.
    • Capital Allocation: The choice between risky and risk-free assets.
    • Risk-Free Asset: Investments with minimal risk, like U.S. Treasury bonds, money market instruments, or price-indexed government bonds.

    Historical Record

    • Scenario Analysis: Estimates potential return outcomes based on historical data.
    • Variance and Standard Deviation: Calculated from a time series of returns.
    • World Portfolios: Represent a diverse range of investment opportunities across different countries.
    • Standard & Poor's 500 (S&P 500): Tracks the performance of the 500 largest U.S. companies by market capitalization.
    • U.S. Small Stocks: Measures the performance of the smallest 20% of stocks on the NYSE, NASDAQ, and AMEX.
    • World Bonds: Represents bonds issued by developed economies included in the world large stocks portfolio.
    • U.S. Treasury Bonds: Tracks a specific index of long-term U.S. Treasury bonds.

    Rates of Return

    • Holding-Period Return (HPR) measures the rate of return over a given investment period
    • HPR is comprised of the dividend yield and the capital gains yield
    • Arithmetic average is the sum of returns divided by the number of periods
    • Geometric average is a single period return that yields the same cumulative return as the sequence of actual returns
    • Dollar-weighted average return is the internal rate of return on an investment

    Annualizing Rates of Return

    • APR (Annual Percentage Rate) is the per-period interest rate multiplied by the number of periods per year and doesn’t account for compounding
    • EAR (Effective Annual Rate) is the actual rate at which an investment grows and accounts for compounding.

    Interest Rates

    • Nominal interest rate is the interest rate without considering inflation
    • Real interest rate is the return on an investment after taking inflation into account
    • The Fisher Equation states that the nominal interest rate is equal to the real interest rate plus the expected inflation rate
    • The difference between the nominal interest rate and the real interest rate is the amount of inflation

    Risk and Risk Premiums

    • Risk premium is the expected return in excess of risk-free securities
    • Risk aversion is the reluctance to accept risk
    • Mean-Variance Analysis ranks portfolios based on their Sharpe Ratios
    • Sharpe Ratio is the ratio of a portfolio's risk premium to its standard deviation.
    • The Sharpe Ratio is a measure of risk-adjusted return
    • Scenario analysis is a method of estimating the expected return and risk of an investment by considering different possible economic scenarios
    • Probability distribution is a way of representing the possible outcomes of an investment and their associated probabilities
    • Variance measures the expected value of the squared deviation from the mean
    • Standard deviation is the square root of the variance
    • The normal distribution is a bell-shaped curve that is commonly used to model returns on investments
    • Value at risk (VaR) is a measure of downside risk that estimates the maximum potential loss for a given confidence level.
    • Kurtosis measures the fatness of the tails of the probability distribution
    • Skew measures the asymmetry of the probability distribution

    Historical Record

    • Scenario Analysis uses historical return data to estimate future returns and risk
    • Variance and Standard Deviation are calculated from historical data
    • World Large Stocks include 24 developed countries and approximately 6000 stocks

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    Risk, Return, and Historical Record (Essentials of Investments 12th Ed) PDF

    Description

    Test your understanding of risk factors, risk premiums, and mean-variance analysis. This quiz covers key concepts including the Sharpe Ratio, historical data insights, and the normal distribution of returns. Explore how these elements contribute to portfolio management and investment strategy.

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