Question

Suppose Microsoft stock will provide either a return of 10 or 20 percent over the next year and that the probability of the former outcome is 0.25 while the probability of the latter is 0.75. If the utility an investor derives from a 10 percent return on Microsoft stock is 200 and the utility the investor derives from a 20 percent return is 400, the investor's expected utility from holding Microsoft stock is _____.

Answer 1

The correct answer is b. 350.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the expected profit, we use the data from the statement:

10% Yield = 25% Probability

20% Yield = 75% Probability

Profit 10% = 200 * 25%

Profit 20% = 400 * 75%

TOTAL 30% = 50 + 300 = 350

What was done was multiply the percentages of profit vs. the expected return for each group of actions. The sum of both is the total expected by investors as Microsoft profits.