Beta
(redirected from beta (beta) wave)Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Medical, Encyclopedia.
Beta
Beta
beta
Beta.
Beta is a measure of an investment's relative volatility. The higher the beta, the more sharply the value of the investment can be expected to fluctuate in relation to a market index.
For example, Standard & Poor's 500 Index (S&P 500) has a beta coefficient (or base) of 1. That means if the S&P 500 moves 2% in either direction, a stock with a beta of 1 would also move 2%.
Under the same market conditions, however, a stock with a beta of 1.5 would move 3% (2% increase x 1.5 beta = 0.03, or 3%). But a stock with a beta lower than 1 would be expected to be more stable in price and move less. Betas as low as 0.5 and as high as 4 are fairly common, depending on the sector and size of the company.
However, in recent years, there has been a lively debate about the validity of assigning and using a beta value as an accurate predictor of stock performance.