Why is the coefficient of variation frequently a better risk measure while comparing different projects than the standard deviation?
Whenever we desire to compare the risk of investments which have different means, we employ the coefficient of variation (CV). The CV reveals the standard deviation's percentage of the mean. Since the CV is a ratio, it adjusts for differences in means, whereas the standard deviation does not. So the CV provides a standardized measure of the degree of risk which can be utilized to compare alternatives.