Beta Coefficient
Definition of Beta Coefficient
The formula to calculate the Beta coefficient is:
Beta (β) = Covariance (Ri, Rm) / Variance (Rm)
Where:
- Ri = a stock's return
- Rm = overall market's return
- Covariance = ups & downs of stock returns versus ups & downs of market returns
- Variance = the difference between market returns and its average
Generally, Beta values are of four types:
- Beta < 1.0: stock less volatile than the market
- Beta = 1.0: stock just as volatile as the market
- Beta > 1.0: stock more volatile than the market
- Negative Beta: stock shares inverse relation with the market
Related Terms
Cash Ratio
Cash Ratio: Cash + Cash Equivalents / Current Liabilities
Exponential Moving Average
Exponential Moving Average = (K x (CP - PP)) + PP
C: Current Price of stock, currency, commodity, etc. P: The EMA of preceding periods K: Exponential smoothing constant
A Simple Moving Average (SMA) is used to calculate the value of the first period. Furthermore, the EMA can be used to identify support and resistance areas. However, it may not be optimal for identifying precise entry and exit points.
Pre-Market Trading
Beta Stocks
- High Beta Stocks : typically having a Beta value of more than 1, these stocks are known to be high-risk, high-reward investments
- Low Beta Stocks : typically having a Beta value of less than 1, these stocks are known to be low-risk, low-reward investments
- Negative Beta Stocks : typically having a Beta value of less than zero, these stocks are known to have an inverse correlation with the market
- Same as the market : typically having a Beta that’s equal to 1, these stocks are known to share characteristics with the market
Bond Market
Floating Interest Rate
Personal loans and home loans are typical examples of borrowing that carry a floating interest rate. A point to note here: the floating interest rate is added on top of a base interest rate that is charged by lenders.

