Andrew Stolz

AUGUST 4, 2020

Definition of Risk-Free Rate. The risk-free rate is the minimum rate of return on an investment with theoretically no risk. Government bonds are considered risk-free because technically, a government can always print money to pay its bondholders. Treasury Bill.

Risk-free Rate 52

Risk-free Rate Treasury Equity Marketability 52

Musings on Markets

AUGUST 15, 2023

In every introductory finance class, you begin with the notion of a risk-free investment, and the rate on that investment becomes the base on which you build, to get to expected returns on risky assets and investments. What is a risk free investment? Why does the risk-free rate matter?

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Risk-free Rate Treasury Risk Premium Start-ups 98

Musings on Markets

JUNE 2, 2025

Since the ratings downgrade happened after close of trading on a Friday, there was concern that markets would wake up on the following Monday (May 19) to a wave of selling, and while that did not materialize, the rest of the week was a down week for both stocks and US treasury bonds, especially at the longest end of the maturity spectrum.

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Risk Premium Marketability Start-ups Risk-free Rate 116

Musings on Markets

JANUARY 30, 2023

The US treasury market, considered by some still as a safe haven, was anything but safe or a haven, especially at the long maturities, as long term rates soared, with inflation (not the Fed) being the key driver. Since inflation was 6.42% in 2022, the real return on a US 10-year treasury bond was -22.79%.

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Treasury Start-ups Risk Premium Equity 97

Musings on Markets

OCTOBER 4, 2023

The Markets in the Third Quarter Coming off a year of rising rates in 2022, interest rates have continued to command center stage in 2023. At the start of October, the ten-year and thirty-year rates were both approaching 15-year highs, with the 10-year treasury at 4.59% and the 30-year treasury rate at 4.73%.

Marketability 123

Marketability Start-ups Risk Premium Treasury 123

Musings on Markets

AUGUST 5, 2023

In short, the expected return on a risky investment can be constructed as the sum of the returns you can expect on a guaranteed investment, i.e., a riskfree rate, and a risk premium, which will scale up as risk increases. The risk premium that you demand has different names in different markets.

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Risk Premium Equity Start-ups Treasury 98

Musings on Markets

JANUARY 21, 2023

That said, when investors buy equities, it would be both irrational and illogical to settle for expected returns that are less than what you can earn on risk free or guaranteed investments, though behavioral finance suggests that both irrationality and illogic are persistent human traits.

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Equity Risk Premium Start-ups Dividends 95