Why is the coefficient of variation a better risk calculates to use than the standard deviation while evaluating the risk of capital budgeting projects?
The coefficient of variation is a better risk measure as compared to the standard deviation alone as the CV adjusts for the size of the project. The CV calculates the standard deviation divided by the mean and hence puts the standard deviation into context. For instance, a standard deviation of .05 may be referred as large relative to a mean of .02 but would be referred a small value relative to a mean value of 8.