Rate of Return
Rate of Return
Rate of Return
In finance, rate of return (ROR), also known as return on investment (ROI), rate of profit or
sometimes just return, is the ratio of money gained or lost (whether realized or unrealized) on an
investment relative to the amount of money invested. The amount of money gained or lost may
be referred to as intrest , profit/loss, gain/loss, or net income/loss. The money invested may be
referred to as the asset , capital, principal, or the cost basis of the investment. ROI is usually
expressed as a percentage rather than a fraction.
Calculation
The initial value of an investment, Vi, does not always have a clearly defined monetary value, but
for purposes of measuring ROI, the initial value must be clearly stated along with the rationale
for this initial value. The final value of an investment, Vf, also does not always have a clearly
defined monetary value, but for purposes of measuring ROI, the final value must be clearly
stated along with the rationale for this final value.
The rate of return can be calculated over a single period, or expressed as an average over
multiple periods.
Single-period
Arithmetic return
The arithmetic return is:
The geometric average rate of return calculated over n years is also known as the annualized
return.