Final answer:
To approximate the VAR for an investment with a normal distribution, we need to calculate the z-score corresponding to the desired probability. The VAR can be calculated using the formula VAR = mean - z * standard deviation.
Step-by-step explanation:
To approximate the VAR for an investment with a normal distribution, we need to calculate the z-score corresponding to the desired probability. In this case, the probability is 0.01, so the z-score is -2.33 (obtained from a standard normal distribution table). The VAR can be calculated using the formula VAR = mean - z * standard deviation. Given that X follows a normal distribution with mean μ and variance σ², the VAR is v = μ - z * σ.
Let's say the profit from the investment is modeled by a normal distribution X ~ N(μ, σ²). In order to find the VAR, we need to know the values of μ and σ. Once we have these values, we can plug them into the formula to calculate the VAR. The VAR represents the value below which there is a 1% chance of the investment losing more.