The Measurement of Systematic Risk for Securities and Portfolios: Some Empirical Results

Markowitz [12] and Tobin [19] pioneered in the development of a portfolio selection model resting on the assumptions that the investor1. Chooses among alternative investment opportunities solely on the basis of expected return (E) and standard deviation of return 〈σ〉, and2. Prefers more expected return to less but will refuse to incur additional risk (measured by standard deviation) unless compensated by increased expected return.