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The Global Insight

Is the market portfolio beta 1?

Author

Mia Phillips

Updated on February 20, 2026

Interpretation of values. By definition, the value-weighted average of all market-betas of all investable assets with respect to the value-weighted market index is 1. If an asset has a beta above (below) 1, it indicates that its return moves more (less) than 1-to-1 with the return of the market-portfolio, on average.

What does a portfolio beta of 1 mean?

Portfolio beta is a measure of the overall systematic risk of a portfolio of investments. Since the broad market has a beta coefficient of 1, a portfolio beta of less than 1 means that the portfolio has lower systematic risk than the market and vice versa.

How do you calculate portfolio return using beta?

Multiply each beta by the percent its asset makes up in the overall portfolio. For example, a stock has a beta of 1.2, and makes up 10 percent of your portfolio. The weighted beta is 1.2 multiplied by 10 percent, or . 12.

Is it better to have a high or low-beta?

By definition, the market itself has a beta of 1.0, and individual stocks are ranked according to how much they deviate from the macro market. High-beta stocks (>1.0) are supposed to be riskier but provide the potential for higher returns; low-beta stocks (<1.0) pose less risk but also lower returns.

What is the beta of a market portfolio?

β c = the beta of the asset in question versus the market portfolio For example, if the risk-free rate is 3%, the expected return of the market portfolio is 10%, and the beta of the asset with respect to the market portfolio is 1.2, the expected return of the asset is: Expected return = 3% + 1.2 x (10% – 3%) = 3% + 8.4% = 11.4%

How is beta related to expected market return?

Beta of the asset (β a), a measure of the asset’s price volatility relative to that of the whole market; Expected market return (r m), a forecast of the market’s return over a specified time.

What is the expected return of a market portfolio?

For example, if the risk-free rate is 3%, the expected return of the market portfolio is 10%, and the beta of the asset with respect to the market portfolio is 1.2, the expected return of the asset is: Expected return = 3% + 1.2 x (10% – 3%) = 3% + 8.4% = 11.4%.

How is beta calculated in capital asset pricing model?

If a stock has a beta of less than one, the formula assumes it will reduce the risk of a portfolio. A stock’s beta is then multiplied by the market risk premium, which is the return expected from the market above the risk-free rate. The risk-free rate is then added to the product of the stock’s beta and the market risk premium.