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The level of risk

AArun10y ago
Dear Sir, I was reading the F9 notes and in the second chapter I came across the following paragraph under the factors which determine interest rates: 'The additional return required before someone would be indifferent between investing in an equity share or a deposit account will differ from individual to individual, as we all have a different attitude to risk. Therefore the relationship between risk and return is different for each individual.' I can't seem to understand what it means. Could you please explain it to me? An example would be helpful as well. Thanks, Arun.
John MoffatJohn MoffatTutor10y ago#1
An investment in shares is more risky than putting money in the bank and earning interest, because if you invest in shares you are never certain what return you will get - the dividend might end up being very high or it might end up being very low. So people only invest in shares if they expect they will get (on average) a higher return than investing in the bank. How must extra they need for the extra risk is different between different people - some people don't care a lot about the extra risk, but other people might be very scared of the extra risk.
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