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What Do The Ibbottson Historical Studies Really Prove About Firm Size, Risk And Return?, Michael Sack Elmaleh Jan 2004

What Do The Ibbottson Historical Studies Really Prove About Firm Size, Risk And Return?, Michael Sack Elmaleh

Michael Sack Elmaleh

I deny that the Ibbottson historical studies prove that small and medium caps outperform large caps because they are more risky. First, I question whether covariance measures are necessarily a good proxy for risk. The higher levels of volatility associated with small and medium cap versus large cap may be a statistical artifact: the greater number of transactions associated with large caps as compared to small caps may account for this difference. Secondly, higher returns on small and medium caps may be a function of less efficient information distribution for these securities as compared to large caps. Finally, can we …


The Income Method Of Valuation: A False Analogy Between Bonds And Stocks, Michael Sack Elmaleh Jul 2003

The Income Method Of Valuation: A False Analogy Between Bonds And Stocks, Michael Sack Elmaleh

Michael Sack Elmaleh

The discounting of future income streams by a risk adjusted rate of return by proponents of the income method reflects a misplaced faith in the ability to project accurately future income streams and pick out the “right” rate of return. Future income streams are fairly reliably predictable when analyzing a debt instrument. However, equity investment future income streams are notoriously unpredictable. Similarly assessing the risk associated with realizing returns from a fixed security is comparatively easy in comparison with assessing the risks associated with equity returns. The widely used Beta has not proved to be a very stable measure of …