The expected return is calculated using the Capital Asset Pricing Model:
Expected return = Risk-free rate + Beta × (Market return − Risk-free rate)
Substituting the information provided:
Expected return = 5% + 2.0 × (10% − 5%)
Expected return = 5% + 2.0 × 5%
Expected return = 15%
Option C is therefore correct.
The market risk premium is 5%, representing the additional return expected from the market over the risk-free rate. A beta of 2.0 means that the portfolio has twice the systematic market sensitivity represented by a beta of 1.0. CAPM therefore assigns the portfolio a ten-percentage-point risk premium above the five-percent risk-free rate.
The portfolio variance of 15% is not used in the standard CAPM expected-return equation. Variance measures total return dispersion, whereas CAPM prices systematic risk through beta. Including variance in the calculation would mix two distinct risk measures.
The result is a model-based required or expected return rather than a guaranteed performance outcome. Actual returns may differ because of company-specific events, changing economic conditions and limitations in CAPM assumptions. The Retail Securities syllabus specifically requires candidates to apply CAPM using the risk-free rate, market risk premium and beta.
