Question

Two investment advisers are comparing performance. One averaged a 16.27% rate of return and the other a 20.51% rate of return. However, the β of the first investor was 1.5, whereas that of the second investor was 1.

Required: Suppose that the T-bill rate was 3% and the market return during the period was 15%. Aside from the issue of general movements in the market, outline the difference between the superior and inferior portfolios.

Answer% Do not round intermediate calculations. Input your answer as a percent rounded to 2 decimal places (for example: 28.31%).

Two investment advisers are comparing performance. One averaged a 16.27% rate of return and the other a 20.51% rate of return. However, the β of the first investor was 1.5, whereas that of the second investor was 1.

Required: Suppose that the T-bill rate was 3% and the market return during the period was 15%. Aside from the issue of general movements in the market, outline the difference between the superior and inferior portfolios.

Answer% Do not round intermediate calculations. Input your answer as a percent rounded to 2 decimal places (for example: 28.31%).

Two investment advisers are comparing performance. One averaged a 16.27% rate of return and the other a 20.51% rate of return. However, the β of the first investor was 1.5, whereas that of the second investor was 1.

Required: Suppose that the T-bill rate was 3% and the market return during the period was 15%. Aside from the issue of general movements in the market, outline the difference between the superior and inferior portfolios.

Answer% Do not round intermediate calculations. Input your answer as a percent rounded to 2 decimal places (for example: 28.31%).

Answer 1

Beta is an indicator of the systematic risk of a portfolio. We see that in the first portfolio, we are earning 16.27% at a beta of 1.5 while in second we are earning 20.51% at a beta of 1. This means that the second portfolio is clearly superior than the first because not only it is earning higher returns, it is also a less risky portfolio than the first. If we were considering investing in the first, we can also compare it with the market return. The beta of the market is 1 and the return is 15%. So, the first portfolio is offering just a 1.27% higher return for a significantly higher beta. Hence, the second portfolio is way better than the first.