Category: stock returns

  • Total return formula and calculator

    Total return formula and calculator

    In the second lesson of our investments course, we’ll be learning about a stock’s total return and its two components: capital gains and dividend yield. Total return formula Imagine that you bought a stock a few months ago for $10 per share and the current share price is $12. Based on what we learned in…

  • Gross return vs net return

    Gross return vs net return

    We start our investments course by teaching you basic return calculations. One of the first things you need to understand is the distinction between gross returns and net returns. So, we begin with defining these two fundamental concepts below. You might find the video tutorial at the end useful as well. Gross return Let’s suppose…

  • How to calculate Jensen’s alpha in Excel

    How to calculate Jensen’s alpha in Excel

    The purpose of this tutorial is to teach you to calculate Jensen’s alpha in Excel. We’ll estimate the Jensen’s alpha on Amazon (AMZN) shares using the S&P500 as the market benchmark and the 13-week T-bill as the proxy of risk-free asset. Our analysis will be based on five years of monthly data (i.e., 60 observations…

  • How to calculate portfolio risk and return in Excel

    How to calculate portfolio risk and return in Excel

    In this tutorial, we’ll teach you how to calculate portfolio risk and return in Excel. We’ll focus on an example where we construct a portfolio of the following three stocks: Tesla (TSLA), Amazon (AMZN), and Netflix (NFLX). If you’re unfamiliar with the formulas for portfolio return and portfolio risk, we’d recommend you check the following…

  • How to calculate beta in Excel

    How to calculate beta in Excel

    In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to calculate beta in Excel. First, we explain the data you need before getting started. Then, we offer four different ways of computing betas in Excel (the first one is the fastest if you’re in a rush!). If you prefer a video tutorial, that is provided at the…

  • Calculating the correlation between two stocks

    Calculating the correlation between two stocks

    In this tutorial, we explain how to calculate the correlation between two stocks and how to construct a correlation matrix using Excel. Jump to: Using Excel to calculate correlations between pairs of stocks Here is a simple, step-by-step guide to obtaining the correlation coefficient between the returns of two stocks. That is it! This should…

  • Descriptive statistics for stock returns

    Descriptive statistics for stock returns

    Descriptive statistics offer a simple way of understanding distributions of stock returns. They give us an idea about a distribution’s centrality, dispersion, and other features. In this tutorial, we will show you how to generate descriptive statistics for stock returns using Excel’s data analysis tool. Using Excel to get descriptive statistics for stock returns What…

  • Long position vs short position

    Long position vs short position

    It is easy for beginner traders to get lost when listening to conversations by seasoned traders. Trading involves lots of technical terms and specific jargon. For example, what does it mean to be “long” or “short” in a stock or option? This comes down to the following dichotomy: long position vs short position. In a…

  • Creating a histogram of stock returns with Excel

    Creating a histogram of stock returns with Excel

    An easy way to visualize the distribution of stock returns is to plot a histogram. In this tutorial, we will teach you how to create a histogram using Excel. Moreover, we will explain how to interpret a histogram of stock returns. Jump to: Using Excel’s “data analysis” tool to plot a histogram We will be…

  • Stock prices and returns – How to plot time series?

    Stock prices and returns – How to plot time series?

    The purpose of this tutorial is to show you how to plot time series of stock prices and returns using Excel. And, we will also explain how to interpret these plots to gain a better understanding of stock prices and returns. We will use Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) shares and Kellogg Company (K) shares as examples.…