Coefficient Of Variation

Coefficient of Variation (or CV) is a normalized measure of dispersion of a probability distribution. It is also known as the variation coefficient or simply unitized risk. The absolute value of the Coefficient of Variation is sometimes called Relative Standard Deviation (or RSD), which is expressed as a percentage.

Coefficient Of Variation

 = 

STD

ER

CV is the measure of price and return dispersion, sometimes known as unitized risk or the variation coefficient. The CV is derived from the ratio of the standard deviation to the non-zero mean and the absolute value is taken for the mean to ensure it always positive. It is sometimes expressed as a percentage, in which case the CV is multiplied by 100. Coefficient of Variation for a single equity instrument describes the dispersion of price movement or daily returns. The higher the Coefficient of Variation, the greater the dispersion of prices, and the more riskier is the asset.