Knowledge Park, Dubai 9.00 am - 9.00 pm

CAPM

Capital Asset Pricing Model

Expected return = risk-free return + beta × market risk premium.

1) CAPM — Intuition

CAPM estimates the return an investment should earn for its level of market risk. More risk (beta) ⇒ more required return.

E(Ri) = R1f + 128i d7 ( E(R1Dm)a0d7a0d7a01Da0d7a0d7a0d7 R1Df )
  • Rf: risk-free rate (e.g., T-bills).
  • β: asset's market sensitivity vs. the market.
  • E(Rm)−Rf: market risk premium.

Example: Rf = 2%, premium = 6%, β = 1.5 → E(R) = 2% + 1.5×6% = 11%.

Inputs for Calculator

Default values mirror the scenario used in the tables below.

2) Annualized Standard Deviation (Volatility)

Assetσ (annual)Notes
S&P 500 Total Return (σm)15.00%Large-cap U.S. equities ~12–18%.
S&P MidCap 400 Total Return18.00%Mid-caps often 15–20%.
Russell 2000 Total Return22.00%Small-caps ~18–25%.
Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate (Agg)4.00%Investment-grade bonds ~3–6%.
Gold Spot (USD)18.00%Can range from mid-teens to ~25%.
Bloomberg Galaxy Crypto (BGCI)60.00%Crypto is highly volatile (50–100%+).

3) Beta (β) via Correlation and Volatility

AssetCorr(i,m)σiσmβi = Corr × (σi/σm)
S&P 5001.000000000.150000000.150000001.0000
S&P MidCap 4000.970156000.180000000.150000001.1642
Russell 20000.959333000.220000000.150000001.4077
Bond (Agg)0.503821000.040000000.150000000.1344
Gold0.926819000.180000000.150000001.1122
Crypto Index0.866710000.600000000.150000003.4668
SOFR (risk-free)0.000000000.000000000.150000000.0000
Standard deviation measures total volatility; beta measures market-driven (systematic) risk.

4) CAPM Expected Return and Alpha vs Projected

CAPM: E(Ri) = Rf + βi × (Market Premium). Alpha = Projected − CAPM.

Asset βi CAPM E(Ri)% Projected% Alpha% (Proj − CAPM)
S&P 500 Total Return1.00009.00%9.00%0.00%
SOFR Overnight Index Avg0.00003.50%3.50%0.00%
S&P MidCap 400 Total Return1.16429.80%11.00%1.20%
Russell 2000 Total Return1.407711.24%13.00%1.76%
Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond (Agg)0.13444.24%5.00%0.76%
Gold Spot (USD)1.11229.62%8.50%-1.12%
Bloomberg Galaxy Crypto Index (BGCI)3.466822.57%22.00%-0.57%
Adjust Rf and Market Premium above to re-compute CAPM and alpha live.