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Economic Definition of risk premium. Defined.

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Term risk premium Definition: This has two very closely related uses. First, it's what risk averse people are willing to pay to avoid a risky situation. For example, if you would be equally happy with a guaranteed $900 or a 50-50 chance of getting either $500 or $1,500, then you're risk premium is $100. Second, it's the extra percentage points added to an interest rate to compensate for the risk of a loan. As a general rule, each 1 percent chance of default on a loan adds a risk premium of about 1 percent to the interest rate.

 

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