Price return

The price return is the rate of return on an investment portfolio, where the return measure takes into account only the capital appreciation of the portfolio, while the income generated by the assets in the portfolio, in the form of interest and dividends, is ignored. This contrasts with the total return, which does take into account the income generated in the portfolio. The price return is the rate of return on an investment portfolio, where the return measure takes into account only the capital appreciation of the portfolio, while the income generated by the assets in the portfolio, in the form of interest and dividends, is ignored. This contrasts with the total return, which does take into account the income generated in the portfolio. Often, when the return of a stock market index is quoted in the press, the quoted returns concern price returns, rather than the total returns. Examples are the S&P 500 and the MSCI EAFE, which are typically quoted in terms of price return. This is clearly misleading, since, economically speaking, it is the total return that is the only thing that matters. Whether that return is generated in the form of cash income or in capital appreciation is irrelevant as long as one can always liquidate the investment to realise the capital appreciation into cash.