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Equity Markets

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Submitted By davegray5000
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A portfolios risk plays a huge role in an investors expected returns which is why it is so important to not only be able to measure this risk but also to have some sort of control over it. There are many different risk measures that are available which are becoming much easier to perform with the technology these days. Some of the most common include the standard deviation, Beta, Alpha and the sharp ratio. Using the correlation and covariance can also be useful when it come to diversifying a portfolio and reducing risk. Another thing that should be considered is the number of securities within the portfolio because this has a large impact on diversifiable risk.

1)Risk measures

-Why is it important to consider different risk measures?

Although standard deviation may be one of the most common and widely used tool to measure risk it is very important that one considers different risk measures as well as the standard deviation when constructing a portfolio. One reason for this is that the standard deviation does not take into account the securities volatility in relation to the market. Other measurements for example Beta can be a good measurement of this volatility. Two other measurements that are very important are correlation and covariance which tell you wether the securities are positively or negatively related, or maybe even not related at all. This can help investors further diversify their portfolio and reduce overall risk. The sharp ratio is also a very useful tool when it comes to measuring risk of a security and/or portfolio. "The idea of the ratio is to see how much additional return you are receiving for the additional volatility of holding the risky asset over a risk-free asset - the higher the better."
(understanding the sharpe ratio, 2010). The standard deviation which looks at how much variation there is from the mean can be very helpful, but as you can see it should not be the only measurement used when evaluating risk.

The value at risk (VaR) can also be a good benchmark for target for risk but it does not really add any information regarding the risk itself.

http://www.investopedia.com/articles/07/sharpe_ratio.asp

mean absolute deviation value at risk (VaR)
Mean absolute deviation (MAD)

-Which risk measures would you consider in the analysis of your own portfolio given your preferences?

When evaluating a portfolio of my own I would most likely use all of the measurements mentioned above as I am very conservative when it comes to investing my money. By using more then one risk measurement I am able to better understand the relationship between risk and reward of the portfolio. For example as a risk averse investor I would try and construct a portfolio with the lowest standard deviation and beta as this will have the lowest volatility in terms of the securities themselves and the market. It is also a good idea to look for securities with a high alpha as they tend to be undervalued, and if they have consistently outperformed in the past they should be considered a less risky investment. I would also consider the sharp ratio as it is a great way of looking at a portfolios risk and the rewards that can potentially come with it. " This measurement is very useful because although one portfolio or security can reap higher returns than its peers, it is only a good investment if those higher returns do not come with too much additional risk." (5 ways to measure mutual funds risk, 2012). By using all of these risk measurements I will be able to put together a portfolio with low risk and I will also feel much better about my investment because I will have a much better understanding of what risk I am taking on.

http://www.investopedia.com/articles/mutualfund/112002.asp

2)How many stocks. Based on the article linked in above.

(5 points) For an average Canadian investor how many stocks are recommended in his or her portfolio to reduce his diversifiable risk by 90%?

(5 points) How does this recommendation depend on financial market conditions?

Choosing the right number of securities for a portfolio can be difficult and depends on many different factors that will vary from country to country. By having more securities within a portfolio you can easily reduce risk, but there comes a point when this reduction in risk is not worth the extra costs associated with adding more securities. In Canada they generally recommend that you hold between 20 and 50 stocks in order to reduce diversifiable risk by 90%. That being said this number can vary and will depend on financial market conditions. The reason for this is that when the market changes so do the results when measuring risk. For example when the market crashes the standard deviation, covariance and correlation will go up causing decrease in the recommended number of securities to obtain the same reduction in diversifiable risk.

3) How many stocks. Based on your research of external credible sources online?

How many stocks on average do canadian investors actually hold in their portfolios and how off they are from the recommended portfolio size?

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