Investors are rewarded in proportion to the risk they take. Framing decisions around compensated risk factors in the equity and bond markets connects investors to the forces that create opportunities to build wealth over time.
In the video, principals of Dimensional, our strategy partner, explore the dimensions of risk and return.
| MARKET | Stocks have higher expected returns than fixed income. |
| SIZE | Small company stocks have higher expected returns than large company stocks. |
| PRICE | Lower-priced “value” stocks have higher expected returns than higher-priced “growth” stocks. |
Evidence from practicing investors and academics alike points to an undeniable conclusion: Returns come from risk. Gain is rarely accomplished without taking a chance, but not all risks carry a reliable reward. Capital market research over the last fifty years has brought us to a powerful understanding of the risks that are worth taking and the risks that are not.
Much of what we have learned about expected returns in the equity markets can be summarized in three dimensions. The first is that stocks are riskier than bonds and have greater expected returns. Relative performance among stocks is largely driven by the two other dimensions: small/large and value/growth. Many economists believe small cap and value stocks outperform because the market rationally discounts their prices to reflect underlying risk. The lower prices give investors greater upside as compensation for bearing this risk.