Maximum expected return criterion

Maximum expected return criterion (MERC)

Standard that one choose the asset with the highest anticipated return.

Homogeneous Expectations Assumption

In Markowitz Portfolio Theory, the assumption that, under a given set of circumstances, all investors will want the same thing. Specifically, when presented with plans having different returns at a given risk, an investor will choose the plan with the highest return. Likewise, when presented plans with different risks at a given return, the investor will pick the plan with the lowest risk. While few researchers believe the assumption holds entirely true, many defend it as holding "approximately" in a given situation. Developed in the 1950s and 1960s, the homogenous expectations assumption is important to capital asset pricing models.