Demonstrate to your colleagues how you would calculate the expected rate of return also called r-hat, and Beta on a self-designed portfolio of four common stocks selected from the NASDAQ or NYSE stock exchanges. Assume the weighting of the portfolio to be 15%, 30%, 35%, 20%. No two portfolios presented by students can include the same companies. Explain how to calculate the standard deviation for each stock in your portfolio using the monthly close stock price (show your calculations using Excel if possible).
What is the Beta Coefficient (in Yahoo) of each stock and the Beta of your portfolio; what does beta mean to you and your selection of stocks compared to your colleagues?