Stock Returns for Dummies


 

Publication Date: December 2001

Publisher: Center for Economic and Policy Research

Author(s): Dean Baker

Research Area: Economics

Keywords: Financial projections; Relevant price index; Devaluation; Stock prices

Type: Report

Coverage: United States

Abstract:

This paper points out that there is no way to assess the credibility of proposals to invest Social Security money in the stock market without knowing advocates’ projections for long-term stock market returns. Stock returns have only two parts, dividends and capital gains. By definition, the return on stock must be equal to the sum of these two components, which can be derived from profit-growth projections.