Rate of Return Calculator

Variables In Calculating Holding Period Return

Holding period return measures the value of an investment over its entire lifespan. The beginning investment value is the amount you initially paid for the investment when you purchased it. In other words, it is its initial market value.

Holding period return also takes into account any cash you periodically receive (such as dividends) from the investment over its holding period. This is called current income for period.

Along with current income, HPR looks at the capital gains or capital losses of your investment. A capital gain or loss is the difference between the amount you pay for an investment and the amount you sell it for. If you sell an asset for more than its original purchase price, you make a capital gain. If you sell it for less than its original purchase price, you take a capital loss.

Benefits of Long-Term Investing

One of the main concerns for any type of investing is market volatility. Volatility measures the degree to which prices change over time. Another way to think of volatility is in terms of price swings. The greater and more frequently an investment's price swings, the higher its volatility. Investments with high volatility have a high degree of risk because their prices are unstable.

It is important to note that short-term volatility is not necessarily indicative of a long-term trend. A security can be highly volatile on a daily basis but show long-term patterns of growth or stability. Some investments may maintain purchasing power over time, but can fluctuate wildly in the short term.

What Is A Holding Period Return?

How do you know the real value of your investments? The value of almost every investment changes over time. The amount of this change depends to a large degree on how long you hold onto your investment. An investment's holding period return is the total return from holding an investment for a specific time (its holding period). This is different from an annualized return, which measures the return adjusted for a one-year period, which may be more or less than the actual holding period.

Holding period return (HPR) captures both the change in your investment's value over time and any periodic benefits you receive from it. It is expressed as a percentage, rather than an absolute dollar amount. Because it takes into account both current income and capital gains, it can be used to find the true returns of different types of investments.