Value-at-Risk (VaR)

An estimate of how much a portfolio could lose over a given period at a given confidence level. Standard reporting: 95% VaR over 1 day.

Value-at-Risk (VaR) — An estimate of how much a portfolio could lose over a given period at a given confidence level. Standard reporting: 95% VaR over 1 day.

Key facts

Category
Risk
Definition
An estimate of how much a portfolio could lose over a given period at a given confidence level. Standard reporting: 95% VaR over 1 day.
Live example
/research/stock/SPY
Last updated
2026-06-17

Worked example

95% 1-day VaR of $10,000 on a $200,000 portfolio means there's a 95% chance daily losses will be less than $10,000 — and a 5% chance of losing more than that.

How IndexAlpha uses Value-at-Risk (VaR)

Computed via three methods on every IndexAlpha portfolio: historical simulation, parametric (Cornish-Fisher), and Monte Carlo. The three numbers are surfaced together so you see the methodology agreement.

See it live

The Value-at-Risk (VaR) metric shows up on every IndexAlpha research page. See it now on SPY — or research any stock to view its Value-at-Risk (VaR).

Related terms

Common questions

What is Value-at-Risk (VaR)?

An estimate of how much a portfolio could lose over a given period at a given confidence level. Standard reporting: 95% VaR over 1 day.

How does IndexAlpha use Value-at-Risk (VaR)?

Computed via three methods on every IndexAlpha portfolio: historical simulation, parametric (Cornish-Fisher), and Monte Carlo. The three numbers are surfaced together so you see the methodology agreement.

Sources