Justify the Historic Ranking of Returns for the Following Three

question 40

Essay

Justify the historic ranking of returns for the following three categories of investment, listed from highest to lowest return: Common stocks, long-term Treasury bonds, and Treasury bills.

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Definitions:

Barriers to Entry

Obstacles that make it difficult for new competitors to enter a market, such as high startup costs, strict regulations, or established brand loyalty.

Economic Profits

The excess of total revenues over total costs, including both explicit costs and opportunity costs, indicating a return beyond the normal profit level.

Accounting Profits

The net earnings of a company as calculated by subtracting total expenses from total revenues, according to standard accounting practices.

Perfect Competitor

A theoretical market structure where many firms sell homogeneous products, entry and exit from the market are free, and all participants have perfect information.