
The security market line (SML) displays the expected return of a security or portfolio. It is a graphical representation of the CAPM formula and plots the relationship between the expected return and beta, or systematic risk, associated with a security.
What are the SML and CAPM formulas?
Together, the SML and CAPM formulas are useful in determining if a security being considered for investment offers a reasonable expected return for the amount of risk taken on. If a security’s expected return versus its beta is plotted above the security market line, it is considered undervalued, given the risk-return tradeoff.
What is the expected return of the stock using CAPM?
The beta of the stock is 1.25 (meaning its average return is 1.25x as volatile as the S&P500 over the last 2 years) What is the expected return of the security using the CAPM formula? Let’s break down the answer using the formula from above in the article: Expected return = Risk Free Rate + [Beta x Market Return Premium]
What is CAPM and how is it calculated?
A security plotted above the security market line is considered undervalued and one that is below SML is overvalued. Mathematically, the CAPM formula is the risk-free rate of return added to the beta of the security or portfolio multiplied by the expected market return minus the risk-free rate of return:
How does the security market Line (SML) calculate expected return?
The security market line (SML) uses the CAPM formula to display the expected return of a security or portfolio. The CAPM formula is the risk-free rate of return added to the beta of the security or portfolio multiplied by the expected market return minus the risk-free rate of return.

What is the central prediction of CAPM which an index model can be used to test?
What is the central prediction of CAPM, which an index model can be used to test? The market portfolio is always suboptimal.
What is the slope of the security market line SML )? Quizlet?
The slope of the SML, which is the difference between the expected return on a market portfolio and the risk-free rate. In other words, it is the reward investors expect to earn for holding a portfolio of beta of 1.
What will happen to the expected return on a stock with a beta of 1.5 and a market risk premium of 9% if the Treasury bill increases from 3% to 5%?
The S&P 500 would be expected to yield about 17.00%. What will happen to the expected return on a stock with a beta of 1.5 and a market risk premium of 9% if the Treasury bill yield increases from 3 to 5%? A. The expected return will remain unchanged.
What is the beta of the risk-free asset?
zeroThe Beta of a risk-free asset is zero because the risk-free asset's covariance and the market are zero. By definition, the Beta of the market is one, and most developed market stocks exhibit high positive betas.
What is the intercept of the security market line SML )? Quizlet?
What is the intercept of the Security Market Line (SML)? The Risk-Free Rate. Two factors determine a stock's total return?
What is the slope of the security market line SML?
The slope of the security market line represents the market risk premium, i.e. the excess return over the market return. The market risk premium compensates for the additional systematic risk associated with the security.
Do stocks with a beta of zero offer an expected rate of return of zero?
a) Stocks with a beta of zero offer an expected rate of return of zero. False. Excess return will be zero when beta is zero. securities.
What is the relationship between risk and return as per CAPM?
The CAPM contends that the systematic risk-return relationship is positive (the higher the risk the higher the return) and linear. If we use our common sense, we probably agree that the risk-return relationship should be positive.
When the required return is different from the coupon interest rate and is constant until maturity the value of the bond will approach its par value as it nears maturity?
If a bond's required return always equals its coupon interest rate, the bond's value will remain at par until it matures. 18. When the required return is different from the coupon interest rate and is constant until maturity, the value of the bond will approach its par value as it nears maturity.
Is CAPM the same as SML?
The CAPM is a formula that yields expected return. Beta is an input into the CAPM and measures the volatility of a security relative to the overall market. SML is a graphical depiction of the CAPM and plots risks relative to expected returns.
How do you use CAPM to value stock?
To calculate the value of a stock using CAPM, multiply the volatility, known as “beta“, by the additional compensation for incurring risk, known as the “Market Risk Premium”, then add the risk-free rate to that value.
What do you understand by CAPM What are the components of CAPM equation?
The capital asset pricing model (CAPM) provides a formula that calculates the expected return on a security based on its level of risk. The formula for the capital asset pricing model is the risk-free rate plus beta times the difference of the return on the market and the risk-free rate.
What is CAPM in investing?
The CAPM formula is used for calculating the expected returns of an asset. It is based on the idea of systematic risk (otherwise known as non-diversifiable risk) that investors need to be compensated for in the form of a risk premium.
What is the RRF on a 10-year bond?
Risk-Free Rate. The “Rrf” notation is for the risk-free rate, which is typically equal to the yield on a 10-year US government bond. The risk-free rate should correspond to the country where the investment is being made, and the maturity of the bond should match the time horizon of the investment.
What is market risk premium?
Market Risk Premium The market risk premium is the additional return an investor expects from holding a risky market portfolio instead of risk-free assets. . A risk premium is a rate of return greater than the risk-free rate. When investing, investors desire a higher risk premium when taking on more risky investments.
What is the beta of a stock?
The beta (denoted as “Ba” in the CAPM formula) is a measure of a stock’s risk (volatility of returns) reflected by measuring the fluctuation of its price changes relative to the overall market. In other words, it is the stock’s sensitivity to market risk.
Why is CAPM formula used?
Despite these issues, the CAPM formula is still widely used because it is simple and allows for easy comparisons of investment alternatives. Including beta in the formula assumes that risk can be measured by a stock’s price volatility. However, price movements in both directions are not equally risky.
What are the assumptions behind CAPM?
Modern financial theory rests on two assumptions: (1) securities markets are very competitive and efficient ( that is, relevant information about the companies is quickly and universally distributed and absorbed); (2) these markets are dominated by rational, risk-averse investors, who seek to maximize satisfaction from returns on their investments.
Why use CAPM?
Using the CAPM to build a portfolio is supposed to help an investor manage their risk. If an investor were able to use the CAPM to perfectly optimize a portfolio’s return relative to risk, it would exist on a curve called the efficient frontier, as shown on the following graph.
How is beta multiplied?
A stock’s beta is then multiplied by the market risk premium, which is the return expected from the market above the risk-free rate. The risk-free rate is then added to the product of the stock’s beta and the market risk premium.
Is CAPM necessary?
The most serious critique of the CAPM is the assumption that future cash flows can be estimated for the discounting process. If an investor could estimate the future return of a stock with a high level of accuracy, the CAPM would not be necessary.
What is SML in investment?
SML gives the graphical representation of the Capital asset pricing model to give expected returns for systematic or market risk. Fairly priced portfolios lie on the SML while undervalued and overvalued portfolio lies above and below the line respectively. A risk-averse investor’s investment is more often to lie close to the y-axis than the beginning of the line, whereas a risk-taker investor’s investment would lie higher on the SML. SML provides an exemplary method for comparing two investment securities; however, the same depends on assumptions of market risk, risk-free rates, and beta coefficients.
What is market risk premium?
Market Risk Premium The market risk premium is the supplementary return on the portfolio because of the additional risk involved in the portfolio; essentially, the market risk premium is the premium return investors should have to make sure to invest in stock instead of risk-free securities. read more.

CAPM Formula and Calculation
Expected Return
- The “Ra” notation above represents the expected return of a capital asset over time, given all of the other variables in the equation. “Expected return” is a long-term assumption about how an investment will play out over its entire life.
Risk-Free Rate
- The “Rrf” notation is for the risk-free rate, which is typically equal to the yield on a 10-year US government bond. The risk-free rate should correspond to the country where the investment is being made, and the maturity of the bond should match the time horizon of the investment. Professional convention, however, is to typically use the 10-year rate no matter what, because it’…
Beta
- The beta (denoted as “Ba” in the CAPM formula) is a measure of a stock’s risk (volatility of returns) reflected by measuring the fluctuation of its price changes relative to the overall market. In other words, it is the stock’s sensitivity to market risk. For instance, if a company’s beta is equal to 1.5 the security has 150% of the volatility of the market average. However, if the beta is equal …
Market Risk Premium
- From the above components of CAPM, we can simplify the formula to reduce “expected return of the market minus the risk-free rate” to be simply the “market risk premium”. The market risk premium represents the additional return over and above the risk-free rate, which is required to compensate investors for investing in a riskier asset class. Put an...
Video Explanation of CAPM
- Below is a short video explanation of how the Capital Asset Pricing Model works and its importance for financial modeling and valuation in corporate finance. To learn more, check out CFI’s Financial Analyst Courses.
Why CAPM Is Important
- The CAPM formula is widely used in the finance industry. It is vital in calculating the weighted average cost of capital(WACC), as CAPM computes the cost of equity. WACC is used extensively in financial modeling. It can be used to find the net present value (NPV) of the future cash flows of an investment and to further calculate its enterprise valueand finally its equity value.
CAPM Example – Calculation of Expected Return
- Let’s calculate the expected return on a stock, using the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) formula. Suppose the following information about a stock is known: 1. It trades on the NYSE and its operations are based in the United States 2. Current yield on a U.S. 10-year treasury is 2.5% 3. The average excess historical annual return for U.S. stocks is 7.5% 4. The beta of the stock is 1.…
More Resources
- We hope this CFI guide to the CAPM formula has been helpful. To continue learning and advancing your finance career as a financial analyst, we have developed several more articles that are highly relevant. To learn more, please see: 1. WACC 2. Asset Beta 3. Valuation Methods 4. Comparable Company Analysis 5. Financial Modeling Guide
What Is The Capital Asset Pricing Model?
Understanding The Capital Asset Pricing Model
- The formula for calculating the expected return of an asset given its risk is as follows: ERi=Rf+βi(ERm−Rf)where:ERi=expected return of investmentRf=risk-free rateβi=beta of the investment(ERm−Rf)=market risk premium\begin{aligned} &ER_i = R_f + \beta_i ( ER_m - R_f ) \\ &\textbf{where:} \\ &ER_i = \text{expected return of investment} \\ &R_f …
Problems with The CAPM
- There are several assumptions behind the CAPM formula that have been shown not to hold in reality. Modern financial theory rests on two assumptions: One, securities markets are very competitive and efficient (that is, relevant information about the companies is quickly and universally distributed and absorbed) and two, these markets are dominated by rational, risk-ave…
The CAPM and The Efficient Frontier
- Using the CAPM to build a portfolio is supposed to help an investor manage their risk. If an investor were able to use the CAPM to perfectly optimize a portfolio’s return relative to risk, it would exist on a curve called the efficient frontier, as shown in the following graph. The graph shows how greater expected returns (y-axis) require greater expected risk (x-axis). Modern Portf…
Practical Value of The CAPM
- Considering the critiques of the CAPM and the assumptions behind its use in portfolio construction, it might be difficult to see how it could be useful. However, using the CAPM as a tool to evaluate the reasonableness of future expectations or to conduct comparisons can still have some value. Imagine an advisor who has proposed adding a stock to a portfolio with a $100 sha…
The Bottom Line
- The CAPM uses the principles of Modern Portfolio Theory to determine if a security is fairly valued. It relies on assumptions about investor behaviors, risk and return distributions, and market fundamentals that don’t match reality. However, the underlying concepts of CAPM and the associated efficient frontier can help investors understand the relationship between expected ri…