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Virginia Tech

Measuring Expected Returns in a Fluid Economic Environment

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

This paper examines the components of the Capital Asset Pricing Model and the model's uses to analyze portfolios returns. It also looks at subsequent versions of the CAPM including a multi-variable CAPM with the inclusion of selected macro-variables as well as a non-stationary beta CAPM to estimate portfolio returns. A new model is proposed that combines the multi-variable component together with the non-stationary beta component to derive a new CAPM that is more effective at capturing current market conditions than the traditional CAPM with the fixed beta coefficient. The multi-variable CAPM with non-stationary beta is applied, together with the select macro-variables, to estimate the returns of a portfolio of assets in the oil-sector of the economy. It looks at returns during the period of 1995-2001 when the economy exhibited a wide range of variation in market returns. This paper tests the hypothesis that adapting the traditional CAPM to include beta non-stationarity will better estimate portfolio returns in a fluid market environment. The empirical results suggest that the new model is statistically significant at measuring portfolio returns. This model is estimated with an Ordinary Least Square (OLS) estimations process and identifies three factors that are statistically significant. These include quarterly changes in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the Unemployment Rate and the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Arts
Level thesis:degree_level
masters
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Economics
Department dc:contributor.department
Economics
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2004

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Evans, Donald C. III
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Lutz, Nancy A.
Committee member dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Ashley, Richard A.

Subjects

dc:subject × 7

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
etd-02162004-100115
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/9733

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Evans, Donald C. III. Measuring Expected Returns in a Fluid Economic Environment. masters thesis, Virginia Tech, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/9733