Investopedia: What is 'Beta'?

Beta

What is 'Beta'

Beta is a measure of the volatility, or systematic risk, of a security or a portfolio in comparison to the market as a whole. Beta is used in the capital asset pricing model (CAPM), which calculates the expected return of an asset based on its beta and expected market returns. Beta is also known as the beta coefficient.
VIDEO
Loading the player...
BREAKING DOWN 'Beta'

Beta is calculated using regression analysis. Beta represents the tendency of a security's returns to respond to swings in the market. A security's beta is calculated by dividing the covariance the security's returns and the benchmark's returns by the variance of the benchmark's returns over a specified period.
Using Beta

A security's beta should only be used when a security has a high R-squared value in relation to the benchmark. The R-squared measures the percentage of a security's historical price movements that could be explained by movements in a benchmark index. For example, a gold exchange-traded fund (ETF), such as the SPDR Gold Shares, is tied to the performance of gold bullion. Consequently, a gold ETF would have a low beta and R-squared in relation to a benchmark equity index, such as the Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500 Index. When using beta to determine the degree of systematic risk, a security with a high R-squared value, in relation to its benchmark, would increase the accuracy of the beta measurement.

Looking for the beta of a specific stock? Find out which brokers offer the best research tools by reading Investopedia's brokerage reviews.
Beta Interpretation

Highest Beta Stocks in the S&P 500
    Symbol     Beta     Price
   
FCX
    2.31     13.96
   
CHK
    2.16     4.14
   
WMB
    2.07     30.08
Lowest Beta Stocks in the S&P 500
    Symbol     Beta     Price
   
FTI
    -0.11     26.42
   
DXC
    -0.07     82.05
   
FTV
    0.20     65.6

A beta of 1 indicates that the security's price moves with the market. A beta of less than 1 means that the security is theoretically less volatile than the market. A beta of greater than 1 indicates that the security's price is theoretically more volatile than the market. For example, if a stock's beta is 1.2, it's theoretically 20% more volatile than the market. Conversely, if an ETF's beta is 0.65, it is theoretically 35% less volatile than the market. Therefore, the fund's excess return is expected to underperform the benchmark by 35% in up markets and outperform by 35% during down markets.

Many utilities stocks have a beta of less than 1. Conversely, most high-tech, Nasdaq-based stocks have a beta of greater than 1, offering the possibility of a higher rate of return, but also posing more risk. For example, as of May 31, 2016, the PowerShares QQQ, an ETF tracking the Nasdaq-100 Index, has a trailing 15-year beta of 1.27 when measured against the S&P 500 Index, which is a commonly used equity market benchmark.

Test your beta knowledge and read more here: Beta: Know the Risk and Calculating Beta: Portfolio Math for the Average Investor.
International Beta
Share

Better known as "global beta", international beta is a measure of the systematic risk or volatility of a stock or portfolio in relation to a global market, rather than a domestic market. The concept of international beta or global beta is especially relevant in the case of large multinational companies with worldwide operations whose stocks are more closely correlated with a global equity index than with the benchmark equity index in their country of domicile.
BREAKING DOWN 'International Beta'

The basic capital asset pricing model (CAPM) can be used to determine the expected return on an asset based on its domestic beta and expected domestic market return. Similarly, the global CAPM can be used to calculate expected returns on an asset based on its global beta and expected return from a global index, such as the Morgan Stanley World Index.



The term "international beta" in the context of finance or portfolio theory should not be confused with international beta testing, which refers to the testing of software products in international markets.




Unlevered Beta
Share
Video Definition

Unlevered beta compares the risk of an unlevered company to the risk of the market. The unlevered beta is the beta of a company without any debt. Unlevering a beta removes the financial effects from leverage. This number provides a measure of how much systematic risk a firm's equity has when compared to the market.

Unlevered Beta

BREAKING DOWN 'Unlevered Beta'

Unlevering the beta removes any beneficial effects gained by adding debt to the firm's capital structure. Comparing companies' unlevered betas gives an investor a better idea of how much risk he is taking on when he purchases the stock.
Read More +

    Work With Investopedia
    About Us Advertise With Us Write For Us Contact Us Careers

© 2017, Investopedia, LLC. Feedback All Rights Reserved Terms Of Use Privacy Policy