Correlation Between Merck and Verrica Pharmaceuticals

Can any of the company-specific risk be diversified away by investing in both Merck and Verrica Pharmaceuticals at the same time? Although using a correlation coefficient on its own may not help to predict future stock returns, this module helps to understand the diversifiable risk of combining Merck and Verrica Pharmaceuticals into the same portfolio, which is an essential part of the fundamental portfolio management process.

By analyzing existing cross correlation between Merck Company and Verrica Pharmaceuticals, you can compare the effects of market volatilities on Merck and Verrica Pharmaceuticals and check how they will diversify away market risk if combined in the same portfolio for a given time horizon. You can also utilize pair trading strategies of matching a long position in Merck with a short position of Verrica Pharmaceuticals. Check out your portfolio center. Please also check ongoing floating volatility patterns of Merck and Verrica Pharmaceuticals.

Diversification Opportunities for Merck and Verrica Pharmaceuticals

0.72

Correlation Coefficient

Merck  Verrica Pharmaceuticals

Poor diversification

The 3 months correlation between Merck and Verrica is 0.72. Overlapping area represents the amount of risk that can be diversified away by holding Merck Company and Verrica Pharmaceuticals in the same portfolio, assuming nothing else is changed. The correlation between historical prices or returns on Verrica Pharmaceuticals and Merck is a relative statistical measure of the degree to which these equity instruments tend to move together. The correlation coefficient measures the extent to which returns on Merck Company are associated (or correlated) with Verrica Pharmaceuticals. Values of the correlation coefficient range from -1 to +1, where. The correlation of zero (0) is possible when the price movement of Verrica Pharmaceuticals has no effect on the direction of Merck i.e., Merck and Verrica Pharmaceuticals go up and down completely randomly.

Pair Corralation between Merck and Verrica Pharmaceuticals

Considering the 90-day investment horizon Merck Company is expected to generate 0.22 times more return on investment than Verrica Pharmaceuticals. However, Merck Company is 4.51 times less risky than Verrica Pharmaceuticals. It trades about 0.06 of its potential returns per unit of risk. Verrica Pharmaceuticals is currently generating about -0.41 per unit of risk. If you would invest  11,583  in Merck Company on June 24, 2024 and sell it today you would earn a total of  134.00  from holding Merck Company or generate 1.16% return on investment over 90 days.

Time Period	3 Months [change]
Direction	Moves Together
Strength	Significant
Accuracy	100.0%
Values	Daily Returns

Merck Company  vs.  Verrica Pharmaceuticals

Merck Company

Risk-Adjusted Performance

0 of 100

Very Weak

Over the last 90 days Merck Company has generated negative risk-adjusted returns adding no value to investors with long positions. Despite latest weak performance, the Stock's basic indicators remain persistent and the latest mess on Wall Street may also be a sign of long-standing gains for the company institutional investors.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals

Risk-Adjusted Performance

0 of 100

Very Weak

Over the last 90 days Verrica Pharmaceuticals has generated negative risk-adjusted returns adding no value to investors with long positions. Despite unfluctuating performance in the last few months, the Stock's fundamental indicators remain somewhat strong which may send shares a bit higher in October 2024. The current disturbance may also be a sign of long term up-swing for the company investors.

Pair Trading with Merck and Verrica Pharmaceuticals

The main advantage of trading using opposite Merck and Verrica Pharmaceuticals positions is that it hedges away some unsystematic risk. Because of two separate transactions, even if Merck position performs unexpectedly, Verrica Pharmaceuticals can make up some of the losses. Pair trading also minimizes risk from directional movements in the market. For example, if an entire industry or sector drops because of unexpected headlines, the short position in Verrica Pharmaceuticals will offset losses from the drop in Verrica Pharmaceuticals' long position.

The idea behind Merck Company and Verrica Pharmaceuticals pairs trading is to make the combined position market-neutral, meaning the overall market's direction will not affect its win or loss (or potential downside or upside). This can be achieved by designing a pairs trade with two highly correlated stocks or equities that operate in a similar space or sector, making it possible to obtain profits through simple and relatively low-risk investment.

Check out your portfolio center.

Note that this page's information should be used as a complementary analysis to find the right mix of equity instruments to add to your existing portfolios or create a brand new portfolio. You can also try the Correlation Analysis module to reduce portfolio risk simply by holding instruments which are not perfectly correlated.