Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2004/iii/paper-35/1/b/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2004 iii Paper 35 1 b Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Write and let denote the risky holdings as fractions of total wealth. The remaining fraction is in the risk-free asset. Consequently their excess expected return is and their variance is . The Cauchy-Schwarz inequality in the inner product defined by givesEquality with positive excess return holds precisely for , , where . Thus solving determines both the efficient risky direction and the upper capital market line slope. Provided , the normalized market portfolio and its Sharpe ratio areHere the excess means are , so the required equations areThe leading principal minors of are , and , so Sylvester's criterion verifies positive definiteness and the solution is unique.
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