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Anyone researching Merdeka Financial Services Group Limited (HKG:8163) might want to consider the historical volatility of the share price. Modern finance theory considers volatility to be a measure of risk, and there are two main types of price volatility. First, we have company specific volatility, which is the price gyrations of an individual stock. Holding at least 8 stocks can reduce this kind of risk across a portfolio. The second sort is caused by the natural volatility of markets, overall. For example, certain macroeconomic events will impact (virtually) all stocks on the market.
Some stocks are more sensitive to general market forces than others. Some investors use beta as a measure of how much a certain stock is impacted by market risk (volatility). While we should keep in mind that Warren Buffett has cautioned that 'Volatility is far from synonymous with risk', beta is still a useful factor to consider. To make good use of it you must first know that the beta of the overall market is one. Any stock with a beta of greater than one is considered more volatile than the market, while those with a beta below one are either less volatile or poorly correlated with the market.
See our latest analysis for Merdeka Financial Services Group
What does 8163's beta value mean to investors?
Zooming in on Merdeka Financial Services Group, we see it has a five year beta of 0.81. This is below 1, so historically its share price has been rather independent from the market. This suggests that including it in your portfolio will reduce volatility arising from broader market movements, assuming your portfolio's weighted average beta is higher than 0.81. Beta is worth considering, but it's also important to consider whether Merdeka Financial Services Group is growing earnings and revenue. You can take a look for yourself, below.
How does 8163's size impact its beta?
Merdeka Financial Services Group is a noticeably small company, with a market capitalisation of HK$39m. Most companies this size are not always actively traded. Very small companies often have a low beta value because their share prices are not well correlated with market volatility. This could be because the price is reacting to company specific events. Alternatively, the shares may not be actively traded.
What this means for you:
The Merdeka Financial Services Group doesn't usually show much sensitivity to the broader market. This could be for a variety of reasons. Typically, smaller companies have a low beta if their share price tends to move a lot due to company specific developments. Alternatively, an strong dividend payer might move less than the market because investors are valuing it for its income stream. In order to fully understand whether 8163 is a good investment for you, we also need to consider important company-specific fundamentals such as Merdeka Financial Services Group’s financial health and performance track record. I urge you to continue your research by taking a look at the following: