Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM)

The CAPM estimates the expected return of an asset based on its systematic risk relative to the market.

Formula:

Where:

  • = Expected return of asset i
  • = Risk-free rate
  • = Beta of asset i (measure of systematic risk)
  • = Market Risk Premium (MRP)

This assumes investors are “rational” and “markets are efficient.”

Used to estimate the cost of equity in corporate finance and valuation.