Question

An investor considers investing $20,000 in the stock market. He believes that the probability is 0.29 that the economy will improve, 0.35 that it will stay the same, and 0.36 that it will deteriorate. Further, if the economy improves, he expects his investment to grow to $26,000, but it can also go down to $14,000 if the economy deteriorates. If the economy stays the same, his investment will stay at $20,000
a. What is the expected value of his investment? Expected value
b. What should the investor do if he is risk neutral? Investor invest the $20,000
c. Is the decision clear-cut if he is risk averse?
No
Yes

Answer 1

Answer: See explanation

Explanation:

a. What is the expected value of his investment?

Based on the information given, this will be:

= (0.29 x $26000) + (0.35 x $20000) + (0.36 x $14000)

= $7540 + $7000 + $5040

= $19580

b. What should the investor do if he is risk neutral?

If the investor is risk neutral, then he should invest $20000.

c. Is the decision clear-cut if he is risk averse?

If the investor is risk averse, then it should be noted that he should not invest $20000 since the expected value of the investment will be lesser than its investment. In this case, the decision isn't clear cut if he's risk averse.