Question

A portfolio is composed of two securities, Stock X and Stock Z. Stock X has a standard deviation of returns of 35%, while Stock Z has a standard deviation of returns of 15%. The correlation coefficient between the returns on X and Z is .25. If Stock X comprises 40% of the portfolio, while Stock Z comprises 60% of the portfolio, what is the standard deviation of this two-risky-asset portfolio

Answer 1

Portfolio SD = 0.18439 or 18.439%

Step-by-step explanation:

The standard deviation of a stock or a portfolio is the measure of the total risk contained in the stock or portfolio. Risk can be defined as the volatility of the stock returns. To calculate the standard deviation of a two stock portfolio, we use the attached formula.

If the weight of stock x is 40%, the weight of stock y will be 1 - 40% = 60%

SD = √(0.4)^2 * (0.35)^2 + (0.6)^2 * (0.15)^2 + 2 * 0.4 * 0.6 * 0.25 * 0.35 * 0.15

SD = 0.18439 or 18.439%