You are discussing your 401(k) with Dan Ervin when he mentions that Sarah Brown, a representative from Bledsoe Financial Services, is visiting East Coast Yachts today. You decide that you should meet with Sarah, so Dan sets up an appointment for you later in the day. When you sit down with Sarah, she discusses the various investment options available in the company’s 401(k) account. You mention to Sarah that you researched East Coast Yachts before you accepted your new job. You are confident in management’s ability to lead the company. Analysis of the company has led to your belief that the company is growing and will achieve a greater market share in the future. You also feel you should support your employer. Given these considerations, along with the fact that you are a conservative investor, you are leaning toward investing 100 percent of your 401(k) account in East Coast Yachts. Assume the risk-free rate is the historical average risk-free rate (in Chapter 10). The correlation between the bond fund and the large-cap stock fund is .16. (Note: The spreadsheet graphing and “Solver” functions may assist you in answering the following questions.)
Examining the opportunity set, notice there is a portfolio that has the lowest standard deviation. This is the minimum variance portfolio. What are the portfolio weights, expected return, and standard deviation of this portfolio? Why is the minimum variance portfolio important?