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Principles of Finance

14.4 Regression Applications in Finance

Principles of Finance14.4 Regression Applications in Finance

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Table of contents
  1. Preface
  2. 1 Introduction to Finance
    1. Why It Matters
    2. 1.1 What Is Finance?
    3. 1.2 The Role of Finance in an Organization
    4. 1.3 Importance of Data and Technology
    5. 1.4 Careers in Finance
    6. 1.5 Markets and Participants
    7. 1.6 Microeconomic and Macroeconomic Matters
    8. 1.7 Financial Instruments
    9. 1.8 Concepts of Time and Value
    10. Summary
    11. Key Terms
    12. Multiple Choice
    13. Review Questions
    14. Video Activity
  3. 2 Corporate Structure and Governance
    1. Why It Matters
    2. 2.1 Business Structures
    3. 2.2 Relationship between Shareholders and Company Management
    4. 2.3 Role of the Board of Directors
    5. 2.4 Agency Issues: Shareholders and Corporate Boards
    6. 2.5 Interacting with Investors, Intermediaries, and Other Market Participants
    7. 2.6 Companies in Domestic and Global Markets
    8. Summary
    9. Key Terms
    10. CFA Institute
    11. Multiple Choice
    12. Review Questions
    13. Video Activity
  4. 3 Economic Foundations: Money and Rates
    1. Why It Matters
    2. 3.1 Microeconomics
    3. 3.2 Macroeconomics
    4. 3.3 Business Cycles and Economic Activity
    5. 3.4 Interest Rates
    6. 3.5 Foreign Exchange Rates
    7. 3.6 Sources and Characteristics of Economic Data
    8. Summary
    9. Key Terms
    10. CFA Institute
    11. Multiple Choice
    12. Review Questions
    13. Problems
    14. Video Activity
  5. 4 Accrual Accounting Process
    1. Why It Matters
    2. 4.1 Cash versus Accrual Accounting
    3. 4.2 Economic Basis for Accrual Accounting
    4. 4.3 How Does a Company Recognize a Sale and an Expense?
    5. 4.4 When Should a Company Capitalize or Expense an Item?
    6. 4.5 What Is “Profit” versus “Loss” for the Company?
    7. Summary
    8. Key Terms
    9. Multiple Choice
    10. Review Questions
    11. Problems
    12. Video Activity
  6. 5 Financial Statements
    1. Why It Matters
    2. 5.1 The Income Statement
    3. 5.2 The Balance Sheet
    4. 5.3 The Relationship between the Balance Sheet and the Income Statement
    5. 5.4 The Statement of Owner’s Equity
    6. 5.5 The Statement of Cash Flows
    7. 5.6 Operating Cash Flow and Free Cash Flow to the Firm (FCFF)
    8. 5.7 Common-Size Statements
    9. 5.8 Reporting Financial Activity
    10. Summary
    11. Key Terms
    12. CFA Institute
    13. Multiple Choice
    14. Review Questions
    15. Problems
    16. Video Activity
  7. 6 Measures of Financial Health
    1. Why It Matters
    2. 6.1 Ratios: Condensing Information into Smaller Pieces
    3. 6.2 Operating Efficiency Ratios
    4. 6.3 Liquidity Ratios
    5. 6.4 Solvency Ratios
    6. 6.5 Market Value Ratios
    7. 6.6 Profitability Ratios and the DuPont Method
    8. Summary
    9. Key Terms
    10. CFA Institute
    11. Multiple Choice
    12. Review Questions
    13. Problems
    14. Video Activity
  8. 7 Time Value of Money I: Single Payment Value
    1. Why It Matters
    2. 7.1 Now versus Later Concepts
    3. 7.2 Time Value of Money (TVM) Basics
    4. 7.3 Methods for Solving Time Value of Money Problems
    5. 7.4 Applications of TVM in Finance
    6. Summary
    7. Key Terms
    8. CFA Institute
    9. Multiple Choice
    10. Review Questions
    11. Problems
    12. Video Activity
  9. 8 Time Value of Money II: Equal Multiple Payments
    1. Why It Matters
    2. 8.1 Perpetuities
    3. 8.2 Annuities
    4. 8.3 Loan Amortization
    5. 8.4 Stated versus Effective Rates
    6. 8.5 Equal Payments with a Financial Calculator and Excel
    7. Summary
    8. Key Terms
    9. CFA Institute
    10. Multiple Choice
    11. Problems
    12. Video Activity
  10. 9 Time Value of Money III: Unequal Multiple Payment Values
    1. Why It Matters
    2. 9.1 Timing of Cash Flows
    3. 9.2 Unequal Payments Using a Financial Calculator or Microsoft Excel
    4. Summary
    5. Key Terms
    6. CFA Institute
    7. Multiple Choice
    8. Review Questions
    9. Problems
    10. Video Activity
  11. 10 Bonds and Bond Valuation
    1. Why It Matters
    2. 10.1 Characteristics of Bonds
    3. 10.2 Bond Valuation
    4. 10.3 Using the Yield Curve
    5. 10.4 Risks of Interest Rates and Default
    6. 10.5 Using Spreadsheets to Solve Bond Problems
    7. Summary
    8. Key Terms
    9. CFA Institute
    10. Multiple Choice
    11. Review Questions
    12. Problems
    13. Video Activity
  12. 11 Stocks and Stock Valuation
    1. Why It Matters
    2. 11.1 Multiple Approaches to Stock Valuation
    3. 11.2 Dividend Discount Models (DDMs)
    4. 11.3 Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Model
    5. 11.4 Preferred Stock
    6. 11.5 Efficient Markets
    7. Summary
    8. Key Terms
    9. CFA Institute
    10. Multiple Choice
    11. Review Questions
    12. Problems
    13. Video Activity
  13. 12 Historical Performance of US Markets
    1. Why It Matters
    2. 12.1 Overview of US Financial Markets
    3. 12.2 Historical Picture of Inflation
    4. 12.3 Historical Picture of Returns to Bonds
    5. 12.4 Historical Picture of Returns to Stocks
    6. Summary
    7. Key Terms
    8. Multiple Choice
    9. Review Questions
    10. Video Activity
  14. 13 Statistical Analysis in Finance
    1. Why It Matters
    2. 13.1 Measures of Center
    3. 13.2 Measures of Spread
    4. 13.3 Measures of Position
    5. 13.4 Statistical Distributions
    6. 13.5 Probability Distributions
    7. 13.6 Data Visualization and Graphical Displays
    8. 13.7 The R Statistical Analysis Tool
    9. Summary
    10. Key Terms
    11. CFA Institute
    12. Multiple Choice
    13. Review Questions
    14. Problems
    15. Video Activity
  15. 14 Regression Analysis in Finance
    1. Why It Matters
    2. 14.1 Correlation Analysis
    3. 14.2 Linear Regression Analysis
    4. 14.3 Best-Fit Linear Model
    5. 14.4 Regression Applications in Finance
    6. 14.5 Predictions and Prediction Intervals
    7. 14.6 Use of R Statistical Analysis Tool for Regression Analysis
    8. Summary
    9. Key Terms
    10. Multiple Choice
    11. Review Questions
    12. Problems
    13. Video Activity
  16. 15 How to Think about Investing
    1. Why It Matters
    2. 15.1 Risk and Return to an Individual Asset
    3. 15.2 Risk and Return to Multiple Assets
    4. 15.3 The Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM)
    5. 15.4 Applications in Performance Measurement
    6. 15.5 Using Excel to Make Investment Decisions
    7. Summary
    8. Key Terms
    9. CFA Institute
    10. Multiple Choice
    11. Review Questions
    12. Problems
    13. Video Activity
  17. 16 How Companies Think about Investing
    1. Why It Matters
    2. 16.1 Payback Period Method
    3. 16.2 Net Present Value (NPV) Method
    4. 16.3 Internal Rate of Return (IRR) Method
    5. 16.4 Alternative Methods
    6. 16.5 Choosing between Projects
    7. 16.6 Using Excel to Make Company Investment Decisions
    8. Summary
    9. Key Terms
    10. CFA Institute
    11. Multiple Choice
    12. Review Questions
    13. Problems
    14. Video Activity
  18. 17 How Firms Raise Capital
    1. Why It Matters
    2. 17.1 The Concept of Capital Structure
    3. 17.2 The Costs of Debt and Equity Capital
    4. 17.3 Calculating the Weighted Average Cost of Capital
    5. 17.4 Capital Structure Choices
    6. 17.5 Optimal Capital Structure
    7. 17.6 Alternative Sources of Funds
    8. Summary
    9. Key Terms
    10. CFA Institute
    11. Multiple Choice
    12. Review Questions
    13. Problems
    14. Video Activity
  19. 18 Financial Forecasting
    1. Why It Matters
    2. 18.1 The Importance of Forecasting
    3. 18.2 Forecasting Sales
    4. 18.3 Pro Forma Financials
    5. 18.4 Generating the Complete Forecast
    6. 18.5 Forecasting Cash Flow and Assessing the Value of Growth
    7. 18.6 Using Excel to Create the Long-Term Forecast
    8. Summary
    9. Key Terms
    10. Multiple Choice
    11. Review Questions
    12. Problems
    13. Video Activity
  20. 19 The Importance of Trade Credit and Working Capital in Planning
    1. Why It Matters
    2. 19.1 What Is Working Capital?
    3. 19.2 What Is Trade Credit?
    4. 19.3 Cash Management
    5. 19.4 Receivables Management
    6. 19.5 Inventory Management
    7. 19.6 Using Excel to Create the Short-Term Plan
    8. Summary
    9. Key Terms
    10. Multiple Choice
    11. Review Questions
    12. Video Activity
  21. 20 Risk Management and the Financial Manager
    1. Why It Matters
    2. 20.1 The Importance of Risk Management
    3. 20.2 Commodity Price Risk
    4. 20.3 Exchange Rates and Risk
    5. 20.4 Interest Rate Risk
    6. Summary
    7. Key Terms
    8. CFA Institute
    9. Multiple Choice
    10. Review Questions
    11. Problems
    12. Video Activity
  22. Index

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

  • Calculate the regression model for a single independent variable as applied to financial forecasting.
  • Extract measures of slope and intercept from regression analysis in financial applications.

Regression Model for a Single Independent Variable

Regression analysis is used extensively in finance-related applications. Many typical applications involve determining if there is a correlation between various stock market indices such as the S&P 500, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), and the Russell 2000 index.

As an example, suppose we would like to determine if there is a correlation between the Russell 2000 index and the DJIA. Does the value of the Russell 2000 index depend on the value of the DJIA? Is it possible to predict the value of the Russell 2000 index for a certain value of the DJIA? We can explore these questions using regression analysis.

Table 14.6 shows a summary of monthly closing prices of the DJIA and the Russell 2000 for a 12-month time period. We consider the DJIA to be the independent variable and the Russell 2000 index to be the dependent variable.

Monthly Close DJIA Russell 2000
1-Apr-21 34,200.67 2,262.67
1-Mar-21 32,981.55 2,220.52
1-Feb-21 30,932.37 2,201.05
1-Jan-21 29,982.62 2,073.64
1-Dec-20 30,606.48 1,974.86
1-Nov-20 29,638.64 1,819.82
1-Oct-20 26,501.60 1,538.48
1-Sep-20 27,781.70 1,507.69
1-Aug-20 28,430.05 1,561.88
1-Jul-20 26,428.32 1,480.43
1-Jun-20 25,812.88 1,441.37
1-May-20 25,383.11 1,394.04
Table 14.6 Monthly Closing Prices of the DJIA and the Russell 2000 for a 12-Month Time Period (source: Yahoo! Finance)

The first step is to create a scatter plot to determine if the data points appear to follow a linear pattern. The scatter plot is shown in Figure 14.7. The scatter plot clearly shows a linear pattern; the next step is to calculate the correlation coefficient and determine if the correlation is significant.

  • Using the Excel command =CORREL, the correlation coefficient is calculated to be 0.947. This value of the correlation coefficient is significant using the test for significance referenced earlier in Correlation Analysis.
  • Using the Excel commands =SLOPE and =INTERCEPT, the value of the slope and y-intercept are calculated as 0.11 and -1,496.34-1,496.34, respectively, when rounded to two decimal places.

The Excel output is shown below:

=CORREL(C3:C14,B3:B14): 0.947
=SLOPE(C3:C14,B3:B14): 0.113
=INTERCEPT(C3:C14,B3:B14): -1,496.340
A scatter plot showing a positive correlation between the monthly closing prices of the Russell 2000 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average stock index values over 12 months. The diagram shows the Russell 2000 index rising from approximately 1,400 to over 2,200, as the DJIA increases from approximately 25,000 to over 34,000.
Figure 14.7 Scatter Plot for Monthly Closing Prices of the DJIA versus the Russell 2000 for a 12-Month Time Period (data source: Yahoo! Finance)

Based on these results, the corresponding linear regression model is

y^ = a+bxy^=-1,496.34+0.11xy^ = a+bxy^=-1,496.34+0.11x
14.16

Assume the DJIA has reached a value of 32,000. Predict the corresponding value of the Russell 2000 index. To determine this, substitute the value of the independent variable, x=32,000x=32,000 (this is the given value of the DJIA), and calculate the corresponding value for the dependent variable, which is the predicted value for the Russell 2000 index:

y^ = -1,496.34+0.1132,000y^=2,023.66y^ = -1,496.34+0.1132,000y^=2,023.66
14.17

Thus the predicted value for the Russell 2000 index is approximately 2,024 when the DJIA reached a value of 32,000.

Measures of Slope and Intercept from Regression Analysis

An important application of regression analysis is to determine the systematic risk for a particular stock, which is referred to as beta. A stock’s beta is a measure of the volatility of the stock compared to a benchmark such as the S&P 500 index. If a stock has more volatility compared to the benchmark, then the stock will have a beta greater than 1.0. If a stock has less volatility compared to the benchmark, then the stock will have a beta less than 1.0.

Beta can be determined as the slope of the regression line when the stock returns are plotted versus the returns for the benchmark, such as the S&P 500. As an example, consider the calculation for beta of Nike stock based on monthly returns of Nike stock versus monthly returns for the S&P 500 over the time period from May 2020 to March 2021. The monthly return data is shown in Table 14.7.

Date S&P 500

S&P

Monthly

Return (%)

Nike

Stock

Price ($)

Nike

Monthly

Return (%)

4/1/2020 2,912.43 N/A 87.18 N/A
5/1/2020 3,044.31 0.05 98.58 0.13
6/1/2020 3,100.29 0.02 98.05 -0.01
7/1/2020 3,271.12 0.06 97.61 0.00
8/1/2020 3,500.31 0.07 111.89 0.15
9/1/2020 3,363.00 -0.04 125.54 0.12
10/1/2020 3,269.96 -0.03 120.08 -0.04
11/1/2020 3,621.63 0.11 134.70 0.12
12/1/2020 3,756.07 0.04 141.47 0.05
1/1/2021 3,714.24 -0.01 133.59 -0.06
2/1/2021 3,811.15 0.03 134.78 0.01
3/1/2021 3,943.34 0.03 140.45 0.04
3/12/2021 3,943.34 0.00 140.45 0.00
Table 14.7 Monthly Returns of Nike Stock versus Monthly Returns for the S&P 500 (source: Yahoo! Finance)

The scatter plot that graphs S&P monthly return versus Nike monthly return is shown in Figure 14.8.

A scatter plot of the monthly return for Nike stock against the monthly return for the S&P 500 index shows a dashed regression line through the scatter points. This is a regression line corresponding to the slope of 0.83 and the formula y = 0.83x + 0.02.
Figure 14.8 Scatter Plot of Monthly Returns of Nike Stock versus Monthly Returns for the S&P 500 ($) (data source: Yahoo! Finance)

The slope of the regression line is 0.83, obtained by using the =SLOPE command in Excel.

=SLOPE (E4:E15,C4:C15)
=0.830681658

This indicates the value of beta for Nike stock is 0.83, which indicates that Nike stock had lower volatility versus the S&P 500 for the time period of interest.

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