An investment returns +30% in Year 1 and -20% in Year 2. The geometric mean annual return is closest to:
Explanation: Geometric mean = [(1 + 0.30)(1 − 0.20)]^(1/2) − 1 = (1.30 × 0.80)^(1/2) − 1 = √1.04 − 1 = 1.0198 − 1 ≈ 1.98%. The arithmetic mean (+5%) overstates the compound growth because the −20% year applies to a larger base.
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