Systematic (Market) Risk

Understanding investment risk is fundamental to the role of an investment adviser. Risk assessment drives suitability determinations, portfolio construction, and client communication. The first major category of risk is systematic risk—risks that affect the entire market.

What Is Systematic Risk?

Systematic risk (also called market risk, non-diversifiable risk, or undiversifiable risk) is risk that affects the entire market or economy. It cannot be eliminated through diversification.

Key Principle: No matter how many stocks you own or how well you diversify, you cannot escape systematic risk. If the entire market declines, a diversified portfolio will also decline.

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The PRIME Acronym

A helpful memory device for the five major systematic risks tested on the Series 65 exam:

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Types of Systematic Risk

1. Market Risk

Market risk is the risk that the overall securities market will decline, causing investment values to fall regardless of individual company performance.

Even a perfectly diversified stock portfolio fell approximately 50% during the 2008-2009 bear market. That's market risk in action.

2. Interest Rate Risk

Interest rate risk is the risk that rising interest rates will decrease the value of fixed-income securities.

The Inverse Relationship: When interest rates rise, bond prices fall. When interest rates fall, bond prices rise. This is fundamental to fixed-income investing.

3. Inflation Risk (Purchasing Power Risk)

Inflation risk is the risk that inflation will erode the purchasing power of investment returns.

Real Return Formula: Real Return = Nominal Return − Inflation Rate

4. Reinvestment Risk

Reinvestment risk is the risk that interest or principal payments cannot be reinvested at the same rate of return.

Inverse Relationship: Interest rate risk and reinvestment risk are opposites:

• Rising rates: High interest rate risk, low reinvestment risk
• Falling rates: Low interest rate risk, high reinvestment risk

5. Currency Risk (Exchange Rate Risk)

Currency risk (also called exchange rate risk or foreign exchange risk) is the risk that changes in exchange rates will affect the value of foreign investments.

6. Political/Regulatory Risk

Political risk involves uncertainty from government actions, including:

• Tax law changes
• New regulations affecting industries
• Political instability (especially in emerging markets)
• Trade policy changes (tariffs, sanctions)
• Nationalization of industries

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Measuring Systematic Risk: Beta

Beta (β) measures a security's sensitivity to market movements—its systematic risk.

Beta Calculation Example:

• Market returns 10%
• Stock has β = 1.5
• Expected stock return = 10% × 1.5 = 15%

If the market falls 10%, that same stock would be expected to fall 15%.

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In Practice: How Investment Advisers Apply This

Client portfolio construction:

• Match systematic risk exposure to client risk tolerance
• Use lower-beta investments for conservative clients
• Consider diversification across asset classes (not just within stocks) to reduce systematic risk
• International diversification may reduce U.S. market-specific risk

Client communication:

• Explain that diversification cannot eliminate market risk
• Set realistic expectations during bear markets
• Help clients understand that accepting market risk is how equity investors earn returns

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On the Exam

The Series 65 exam tests your understanding of:

1. Definition of systematic risk and that it cannot be diversified away
2. PRIME risks: Purchasing power, Reinvestment, Interest rate, Market, Exchange rate
3. Beta as the measure of systematic risk
4. Inverse relationships: Bond prices/interest rates; interest rate risk/reinvestment risk
5. Specific examples of each type of systematic risk

Expect 3-4 questions on systematic risk. Common question formats include identifying which risks are systematic vs. unsystematic and interpreting beta values.

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Key Takeaways

• Systematic risk affects the entire market and cannot be diversified away
• Remember PRIME: Purchasing power, Reinvestment, Interest rate, Market, Exchange rate
• Beta measures systematic risk (β > 1 = more volatile than market)
• Bond prices and interest rates have an inverse relationship
• Interest rate risk and reinvestment risk are inversely related
• Even a perfectly diversified portfolio has systematic risk
• Accepting systematic risk is how investors earn returns above the risk-free rate