Sharpe-ratio

The sharpe ratio is a key figure that compares the return achieved on an investment with the risk taken. To do this, the risk-free interest rate (which you would have received with a risk-free investment such as a savings account) is subtracted from the return achieved and this reduced return is divided by the volatility of the investment (the fluctuations in value).

The result is the return per risk unit. The higher this value, the sooner the risk taken is compensated.

A negative sharpe ratio indicates that the risk-free rate has not been outperformed. For a comparison, a sharpe ratio in the negative range has only very limited significance.