Calculating Returns and Log Returns
Understanding how to measure the performance and risk of investments is a cornerstone of financial analysis. Two fundamental metrics used for this purpose are returns and log returns. Returns allow you to quantify how much an investment has gained or lost over a specific period, while log returns provide a way to analyze compounded growth and aggregate returns over time more effectively. Both metrics are widely used to compare asset performance, assess volatility, and inform investment decisions.
12345678910111213141516import pandas as pd import numpy as np # Example: closing prices for a single stock prices = pd.Series([100, 102, 101, 105, 107]) # Calculate daily simple returns simple_returns = prices.pct_change() # Calculate daily log returns log_returns = np.log(prices / prices.shift(1)) print("Simple Returns:") print(simple_returns) print("\nLog Returns:") print(log_returns)
To understand the calculations above, it's important to know the mathematical formulas behind each type of return. The simple return for day t is calculated as:
(P_t - P_{t-1}) / P_{t-1}
where P_t is the price at the end of day t, and P_{t-1} is the price on the previous day. This gives the percentage change from one day to the next.
The log return (also called continuously compounded return) is calculated as:
ln(P_t / P_{t-1})
where ln denotes the natural logarithm. Log returns are particularly useful because they are time-additive: the sum of daily log returns over a period equals the log return over the entire period.
In the code above, pct_change() computes the simple returns, while taking the natural log of the price ratio gives the log returns. These results help you see how much a stock's price fluctuates each day, and provide a foundation for more advanced risk and performance analysis.
12345678910111213141516# Example: DataFrame with multiple stocks data = { 'AAPL': [150, 153, 151, 156, 158], 'MSFT': [250, 252, 249, 255, 257] } df = pd.DataFrame(data) # Add columns for simple returns df['AAPL_simple_return'] = df['AAPL'].pct_change() df['MSFT_simple_return'] = df['MSFT'].pct_change() # Add columns for log returns df['AAPL_log_return'] = np.log(df['AAPL'] / df['AAPL'].shift(1)) df['MSFT_log_return'] = np.log(df['MSFT'] / df['MSFT'].shift(1)) print(df)
1. What is the main difference between simple returns and log returns?
2. Why might a financial analyst prefer log returns over simple returns?
3. Which pandas method is commonly used to calculate percentage change in prices?
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Calculating Returns and Log Returns
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Understanding how to measure the performance and risk of investments is a cornerstone of financial analysis. Two fundamental metrics used for this purpose are returns and log returns. Returns allow you to quantify how much an investment has gained or lost over a specific period, while log returns provide a way to analyze compounded growth and aggregate returns over time more effectively. Both metrics are widely used to compare asset performance, assess volatility, and inform investment decisions.
12345678910111213141516import pandas as pd import numpy as np # Example: closing prices for a single stock prices = pd.Series([100, 102, 101, 105, 107]) # Calculate daily simple returns simple_returns = prices.pct_change() # Calculate daily log returns log_returns = np.log(prices / prices.shift(1)) print("Simple Returns:") print(simple_returns) print("\nLog Returns:") print(log_returns)
To understand the calculations above, it's important to know the mathematical formulas behind each type of return. The simple return for day t is calculated as:
(P_t - P_{t-1}) / P_{t-1}
where P_t is the price at the end of day t, and P_{t-1} is the price on the previous day. This gives the percentage change from one day to the next.
The log return (also called continuously compounded return) is calculated as:
ln(P_t / P_{t-1})
where ln denotes the natural logarithm. Log returns are particularly useful because they are time-additive: the sum of daily log returns over a period equals the log return over the entire period.
In the code above, pct_change() computes the simple returns, while taking the natural log of the price ratio gives the log returns. These results help you see how much a stock's price fluctuates each day, and provide a foundation for more advanced risk and performance analysis.
12345678910111213141516# Example: DataFrame with multiple stocks data = { 'AAPL': [150, 153, 151, 156, 158], 'MSFT': [250, 252, 249, 255, 257] } df = pd.DataFrame(data) # Add columns for simple returns df['AAPL_simple_return'] = df['AAPL'].pct_change() df['MSFT_simple_return'] = df['MSFT'].pct_change() # Add columns for log returns df['AAPL_log_return'] = np.log(df['AAPL'] / df['AAPL'].shift(1)) df['MSFT_log_return'] = np.log(df['MSFT'] / df['MSFT'].shift(1)) print(df)
1. What is the main difference between simple returns and log returns?
2. Why might a financial analyst prefer log returns over simple returns?
3. Which pandas method is commonly used to calculate percentage change in prices?
Merci pour vos commentaires !