Stock Comparison Portfolio Management

Having wealth is one thing; managing hat wealth in an effective manner such that it produces more wealth at an efficient rate is quite another. As a great deal of wealth ends up in the stock market -- where wealth can be quickly created and even more quickly eroded -- understanding how to conduct a comparison of stocks is essential for proper portfolio management. There are many different considerations that should be taken into account when selecting stocks, but one simple and straightforward method of analysis is to simply compare the past performance of stocks that are being considered. Both the price changes and the volatility of past stocks performance can be an indicator of the risk and rewards associated with a given stock, especially in comparison with other potential investments, and this can lead to a better decision regarding which...

The prices for each stock on the 1st of January (or the closest date for which an active price was available) for each year from 2007 to 2011 was taken to give a general idea of how each stock performed over this period, and to determine the general level of volatility that exists for each of these stocks. Both of these figures are important, as for future projections it is necessary to determine not only the total financial gain or loss incurred from each stock if purchased at the beginning of the period (i.e. On January 1, 2007), but also how much up and down movement the stock experienced in the period overall and thus would be likely to experience in the future.
As the chart on the following page shows,…