Chapter 3 A Review of Statistical Principles Useful in Finance

1. Chapter 3A Review of Statistical Principles Useful in Finance

2. Statistical thinking will one day be as necessary for effective citizenship as the ability to read and write. - H.G. Wells

3. Outline • Introduction • The concept of return • Some statistical facts of life

4. Introduction • Statistical principles are useful in: • The theory of finance • Understanding how portfolios work • Why diversifying portfolios is a good idea

5. The Concept of Return • Measurable return • Expected return • Return on investment

6. Measurable Return • Definition • Holding period return • Arithmetic mean return • Geometric mean return • Comparison of arithmetic and geometric mean returns

7. Definition • A general definition of return is the benefit associated with an investment • In most cases, return is measurable • E.g., a $100 investment at 8%, compounded continuously is worth $108.33 after one year • The return is $8.33, or 8.33%

8. Holding Period Return • The calculation of a holding period return is independent of the passage of time • E.g., you buy a bond for $950, receive $80 in interest, and later sell the bond for $980 • The return is ($80 + $30)/$950 = 11.58% • The 11.58% could have been earned over one year or one week

9. Arithmetic Mean Return • The arithmetic mean return is the arithmetic average of several holding period returns measured over the same holding period:

10. Arithmetic Mean Return (cont’d) • Arithmetic means are a useful proxy for expected returns • Arithmetic means are not especially useful for describing historical returns • It is unclear what the number means once it is determined

11. Geometric Mean Return • The geometric mean return is the nth root of the product of n values:

12. Arithmetic and Geometric Mean Returns Example Assume the following sample of weekly stock returns:

13. Arithmetic and Geometric Mean Returns (cont’d) Example (cont’d) What is the arithmetic mean return? Solution:

14. Arithmetic and Geometric Mean Returns (cont’d) Example (cont’d) What is the geometric mean return? Solution:

15. Comparison of Arithmetic &Geometric Mean Returns • The geometric mean reduces the likelihood of nonsense answers • Assume a $100 investment falls by 50% in period 1 and rises by 50% in period 2 • The investor has $75 at the end of period 2 • Arithmetic mean = (-50% + 50%)/2 = 0% • Geometric mean = (0.50 x 1.50)1/2 –1 = -13.40%

16. Comparison of Arithmetic &Geometric Mean Returns • The geometric mean must be used to determine the rate of return that equates a present value with a series of future values • The greater the dispersion in a series of numbers, the wider the gap between the arithmetic and geometric mean

17. Expected Return • Expected return refers to the future • In finance, what happened in the past is not as important as what happens in the future • We can use past information to make estimates about the future

18. Return on Investment (ROI) • Definition • Measuring total risk

19. Definition • Return on investment (ROI) is a term that must be clearly defined • Return on assets (ROA) • Return on equity (ROE) • ROE is a leveraged version of ROA

20. Measuring Total Risk • Standard deviation and variance • Semi-variance

21. Standard Deviation and Variance • Standard deviation and variance are the most common measures of total risk • They measure the dispersion of a set of observations around the mean observation

22. Standard Deviation and Variance (cont’d) • General equation for variance: • If all outcomes are equally likely:

23. Standard Deviation and Variance (cont’d) • Equation for standard deviation:

24. Semi-Variance • Semi-variance considers the dispersion only on the adverse side • Ignores all observations greater than the mean • Calculates variance using only “bad” returns that are less than average • Since risk means “chance of loss” positive dispersion can distort the variance or standard deviation statistic as a measure of risk

25. Some Statistical Facts of Life • Definitions • Properties of random variables • Linear regression • R squared and standard errors

26. Definitions • Constants • Variables • Populations • Samples • Sample statistics

27. Constants • A constant is a value that does not change • E.g., the number of sides of a cube • E.g., the sum of the interior angles of a triangle • A constant can be represented by a numeral or by a symbol

28. Variables • A variable has no fixed value • It is useful only when it is considered in the context of other possible values it might assume • In finance, variables are called random variables • Designated by a tilde • E.g.,

29. Variables (cont’d) • Discrete random variables are countable • E.g., the number of trout you catch • Continuous random variables are measurable • E.g., the length of a trout

30. Variables (cont’d) • Quantitative variables are measured by real numbers • E.g., numerical measurement • Qualitative variables are categorical • E.g., hair color

31. Variables (cont’d) • Independent variables are measured directly • E.g., the height of a box • Dependent variables can only be measured once other independent variables are measured • E.g., the volume of a box (requires length, width, and height)

32. Populations • A population is the entire collection of a particular set of random variables • The nature of a population is described by its distribution • The median of a distribution is the point where half the observations lie on either side • The mode is the value in a distribution that occurs most frequently

33. Populations (cont’d) • A distribution can have skewness • There is more dispersion on one side of the distribution • Positive skewness means the mean is greater than the median • Stock returns are positively skewed • Negative skewness means the mean is less than the median

34. Populations (cont’d) Positive Skewness Negative Skewness

35. Populations (cont’d) • A binomial distribution contains only two random variables • E.g., the toss of a die • A finite population is one in which each possible outcome is known • E.g., a card drawn from a deck of cards

36. Populations (cont’d) • An infinite population is one where not all observations can be counted • E.g., the microorganisms in a cubic mile of ocean water • A univariate population has one variable of interest

37. Populations (cont’d) • A bivariate population has two variables of interest • E.g., weight and size • A multivariate population has more than two variables of interest • E.g., weight, size, and color

38. Samples • A sample is any subset of a population • E.g., a sample of past monthly stock returns of a particular stock

39. Sample Statistics • Sample statistics are characteristics of samples • A true population statistic is usually unobservable and must be estimated with a sample statistic • Expensive • Statistically unnecessary

40. Properties of Random Variables • Example • Central tendency • Dispersion • Logarithms • Expectations • Correlation and covariance

41. Example Assume the following monthly stock returns for Stocks A and B:

42. Central Tendency • Central tendency is what a random variable looks like, on average • The usual measure of central tendency is the population’s expected value (the mean) • The average value of all elements of the population

43. Example (cont’d) The expected returns for Stocks A and B are:

44. Dispersion • Investors are interest in the best and the worst in addition to the average • A common measure of dispersion is the variance or standard deviation

45. Example (cont’d) The variance ad standard deviationfor Stock A are:

46. Example (cont’d) The variance ad standard deviationfor Stock B are:

47. Logarithms • Logarithms reduce the impact of extreme values • E.g., takeover rumors may cause huge price swings • A logreturn is the logarithm of a return • Logarithms make other statistical tools more appropriate • E.g., linear regression

48. Logarithms (cont’d) • Using logreturns on stock return distributions: • Take the raw returns • Convert the raw returns to return relatives • Take the natural logarithm of the return relatives

49. Expectations • The expected value of a constant is a constant: • The expected value of a constant times a random variable is the constant times the expected value of the random variable:

50. Expectations (cont’d) • The expected value of a combination of random variables is equal to the sum of the expected value of each element of the combination: