Existence of Equilibrium and Zero-Beta Pricing Formula in the Capital Asset Pricing Model with Heterogeneous Beliefs

Ning Sun

and

Zaifu Yang

We study a mean-variance capital asset pricing model (CAPM) in which investors have different probability beliefs about assets returns and different attitudes towards risk, all assets are risky, short-selling is allowed and satiation is possible. First, we prove that there exists a competitive equilibrium in the model under a rather general condition. This condition indicates a simple relationship among initial endowment vectors, risk aversion ratio functions, perceived mean vectors and covariance matrices of all investors. Secondly, we derive a zero-beta pricing formula for the model which generalizes the well known Black’s zero-beta pricing formula. In addition, we find in closed form an equilibrium price vector expressed in terms of perceived mean vectors, covariance matrices, and initial endowments of all investors.

Key Words: Capital asset pricing model, Heterogeneity, Equilibrium theorem, Pricing formula.
JEL Classification Numbers: C61, C62, C68, D52, D84, G11, G12.