equity risk premium
Also found in: Acronyms.
Equity Risk Premium
The return that an investor expects over and above the risk-free rate of return in exchange for investing in common stock instead of U.S. Treasury bonds. The equity risk premium may be calculated as the return such a stock actually earns over a given period. For example, if the interest rate on a Treasury bond is 4% and the stock returns 9%, the equity risk premium is 5%. Whether or not this is worth the investment depends on the cost of the stock, the risk relative to other stocks with similar returns, and the investor's own risk aversion. The equity risk premium is also called simply the equity premium.
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equity risk premium
The extra return expected from investments in common stocks compared to the return from U.S. Treasury securities.
Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms for Today's Investor by David L. Scott. Copyright © 2003 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. All rights reserved.