Stocks and the Beta Coefficient

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The Beta Coefficient is a means of measuring the volatility of a security or of an investing portfolio of securities in comparison with the market as a whole.

In other words, Beta is the sensitivity of a stock’s returns to the returns on some market index.

Beta is calculated using regression analysis. A Beta of 1 indicates that the security’s price will move with the market.

A Beta greater than 1 indicates that the security’s price will be more volatile than the market and finally, a Beta less than 1 means that it will be less volatile than the market.

Beta values can be roughly characterized as follows:

* b Less than 0:

Negative Beta is possible but not likely. People thought gold stocks should have negative Betas but that hasn’t been true.

* b Equal to 0:

Cash under your mattress, assuming no inflation!

* Beta Between 0 and 1:

Low-volatility investments (e.g., utility stocks).

* b Equal to 1:

Matching the index.

* b Greater than 1:

Anything more volatile than the index.

* b Much Greater than 1:

Impossible, because the stock would be expected to go to zero on any market decline.

Most new high-tech stocks have a Beta greater than one, they offer a higher rate of return but they are also very risky.

The Beta is a good indicator of how risky a stock is.

The more risky a stock is, the more its Beta moves upward. A low-Beta stock will protect you in a general downturn.

700468 131929827847258 Erik van Dijk

That’s how it is supposed to work, anyway!

Unfortunately, past behavior offers no guarantees about the future. Therefore, if a company’s prospects change for better or worse, then its Beta is likely to change, too.

So, be extremely cautious and use the Beta Coefficient only as a guide to a stock’s tendencies …

Not as a crystal ball!