Standard deviation is a metric that shows the variability of a security’s returns over time. It can be used to gauge volatility based on past performance and compare a future return to past returns.

Marshall Hargrave is a stock analyst and writer with 10+ years of experience covering stocks and markets, as well as analyzing and valuing companies. Dr. JeFreda R. Brown is a financial consultant, ...

Discover normal distribution—a critical concept in finance—and its key properties, formula, and real-world applications.

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Use Excel to calculate daily returns and standard deviation to gauge stock volatility. Annualize volatility by multiplying daily standard deviation by the square root of 252. Remember, standard ...

Forecasting for any small business involves guesswork. You know your business and its past performance, but you may not be comfortable predicting the future. Using Excel is a great way to perform what ...