In: Finance
Rate of return, standard deviation, coefficient of variation Personal Finance Problem
Mike is searching for a stock to include in his current stock portfolio. He is interested in Hi-Tech Inc.; he has been impressed with the company's computer products and believes Hi-Tech is an innovative market player. However, Mike realizes that any time you consider a technology stock, risk is a major concern. The rule he follows is to include only securities with a coefficient of variation of returns below 1.25. Mike has obtained the following price information for the period 2015 through 2018:
Beginning End
2015 $14.94 $20.04
2016 $20.04. $64.87
2017 $64.87. $72.91
2018 $72.91. $90.21
Hi-Tech stock, being growth-oriented, did not pay any dividends during these 4 years.
a. Calculate the rate of return for each year, 2015 through 2018, for Hi-Tech stock.
b. Assume that each year's return is equally probable and calculate the average return over this time period.
c. Calculate the standard deviation of returns over the past 4 years. (Hint: Treat this data as a sample.)
d. Based on b and c determine the coefficient of variation of returns for the security.
e. Given the calculation in d what should be Mike's decision regarding the inclusion of Hi-Tech stock in his portfolio?