E1 P2- Lectures 5-7 Flashcards
What does a high standard deviation indicate?
That there is a lot of variance in the observed data around the mean
What type of standard deviation can be seen with blue-chip stocks?
Low, little variance and little risk
Example in this
What is one of the main benefits of standard deviation?
It helps investors identify underlying risk. If an investment option has an average annual return of 10% but in the last 3 years it has returned 50%, -15% and 5% then it is unlikely it will actually return 10%.
What is the formal measure of risk?
SD
How does portfolio theory help investors?
Offers the framework needed to build portfolios with an optimal risk-return profile
Define the covariance of returns
describes the linear relationship between the return of 2 securities
What does a positive and negative covariance show?
A positive covariance means asset returns move together, while a negative covariance means they move inversely.
When the correlation coefficient is equal to 0 what does it mean for 2 securities?
there is no linear relationship between them - their returns are independent
When does SD indicate an asset is risky?
SD is positive
What does the SD of a portfolio depend on ?
the ws - the share %
the p - the correlation of the asset’s returns
If p AB = 1 what does this mean for the portfolio?
It is risky because σP will always be above 0
what does it mean when a portfolio is dominated?
there are other portfolios offering a higher level of return for the same risk
What is the segment between the riskless portfolio called and what does it represent?
It is called the efficient frontier - showing the optimal balance between risk and return for a portfolio
What is the opportunity set?
the set of portfolios that can be obtained by combining A and B in different amounts
What is the role of an indifference curve in PT?
helps investors decide what portfolio on the efficiency frontier they want, ie which one has maximum utility
Does a low risk averse investor have a shallow indifference curve or steep?
shallow, highly risk averse has steep
How do investors choose between portfolios on an efficient frontier?
they choose the point at which their indifference curve is tangent to the efficient frontier
How does an investor know their utility functions?
Advisors may help them identify acceptable levels of risk through risk tolerance tests
How can portfolio diversification help investors?
Can reduce risk, however some risk will always persevere - systematic risk
What are the key assumptions of CAPM?
- investors only differ over their preference toward risk
- investors share the same efficient frontier
- no taxes and transaction costs
How do you work out the market portfolio?
Draw a straight line from Er = rf and SD = 0, the point of tangency with the efficient frontier is the market portfolio, M.
the line itself is the CML
What is the the market portfolio ? (M)
-a theoretical bundle of investments that includes every asset in the market, each one proportionally represented according to its market value.
- the most attractive portfolio of risky securities that are more efficient than the ones on the efficient frontier
- in a perfect capital market, investors are only interested in holding M