The average market risk premium in the United States remained at *** percent in 2025. This suggests that the returns that investors expected for their investrments remained the same as the previous year in that country, in exchange for the risk they are exposed to. This premium has hovered between *** and *** percent since 2011. What causes country-specific risk? Risk to investments come from two main sources. First, inflation causes an asset’s price to decrease in real terms. A 100 U.S. dollar investment with three percent inflation is only worth ** U.S. dollars after one year. Investors are also interested in risks of project failure or non-performing loans. The unique U.S. context Analysts have historically considered the United States Treasury to be risk-free. This view has been shifting, but many advisors continue to use treasury yield rates as a risk-free rate. Given the fact that U.S. government securities are available at a variety of terms, this gives investment managers a range of tools for predicting future market developments.

Market risk premiums (MRP) measure the expected return on investment an investor looks to make. For potential investors looking to add to their portfolio, the perfect scenario for a risk-based investment would be a high rate of return with as small a risk as possible. There are three main concepts to MRPs, including required market risk premiums, historical market risk premiums, and expected market risk premiums. United Kingdom shows little return for risk Europe-wide, Finland had one of the lowest MRP alongside Poland and Germany. Ukraine had average risk premiums of *** percent in 2025. Having a lower market risk premium may seem bad, but for countries such as the UK and Germany where rates have been consistent for several years, it is because the market is stable as an environment for investment. Risk-free rates Risk-free rates are closely associated with market risk premiums and measure the rate of return on an investment with no risk. As there is no risk associated, the rate of return is lower than that of an MRP. Average risk-free rates across Europe are relatively low.

Up until 2018, the average risk-free rate in Germany remained relatively stable at approximately *** percent. The risk-free rate is a theoretical rate of return of an investment with zero risk. This rate represents the minimum interest an investor would expect from a risk-free investment over a period. It is important to remember that the risk-free rate is only theoretical, as all investments carry even the smallest of risks. As of 2025, the risk-free rate in Germany was *** percent. Risk-free rates in Europe A higher risk-free rate illustrates that even with a so-called “zero risk” investment, investors would want a higher return because of the countries associated investment risks. In Europe, Ukraine and Turkey were among the countries with relatively higher average risk-free rates in 2025 compared to other European countries. The majority of European countries have RF rates under **** percent in 2025. Market risk premiums Risk-free rates reflect market risk premiums (MRP), with Germany displaying low MRP compared to other European countries. Split into three categories (required, historical, and expected), market risk premiums measure the rate of return investors expect on an investment over the risk that investment holds. In Europe, average market risk premiums (MRP) sit between five and ten percent. During the last ten years, Germany has seen a slight increase in market risk premiums.

The risk-free rate is a theoretical rate of return of an investment with zero risk. This rate represents the minimum interest an investor would expect from a risk-free investment over a period of time. It is important to remember that the risk-free rate is only theoretical, as all investments carry even the smallest of risks. A higher risk-free rate illustrates that even with a so-called “zero risk” investment, investors would want a higher return because of the countries' associated investment risks. Average risk-free rate (RF) rate of investment and market risk premium As of 2025, Russia had the ******* risk-free rate of the countries displayed, with **** percent among the European countries under observation. When it comes to the market risk premium, or the rate of return expected by investors over the risk that investments hold, Turkey displayed a higher market risk premium during the same period. Investment in selected European countries Since 2017, both the risk-free rate and average market risk premium in Ukraine have been excessively high. Even more information on market risk premiums, average risk-free rates, and required return on equity in selected European countries can be found in the report on market investments in Europe.

The risk-free rate is a theoretical rate of return of an investment with zero risk of financial loss. This rate represents the minimum interest an investor would expect from a risk-free investment over a period of time. It is important to remember that the risk-free rate is only theoretical, as all investments carry even the smallest of risks. Across European countries, average risk-free rates differed quite significantly. United Kingdom is low risk and low reward When average risk-free rates on a theoretical investment with no risk is ****, like seen in Turkey and Ukraine, the opportunity for high reward investments must seem tempting. But with high rewards come higher risks. Countries such as the UK and Germany have consistently shown *** risk-free rates due to their investment markets’ relative stability. Market risk premiums Market risk premiums (MRP) are a measure that is closely associated with average risk-free rates. MRPs are a measurement of the expected return on investment an investor looks to make. For potential investors looking to add to their portfolio, the perfect scenario for a risk-based investment would be a high rate of return with as small a risk as possible. There are three main concepts to MRPs, including required market risk premiums, historical market risk premiums and expected market risk premiums. Like average risk-free rates, MRPs vary quite widely across Europe.

View data of the S&P 500, an index of the stocks of 500 leading companies in the US economy, which provides a gauge of the U.S. equity market.

As of July 18, 2025, the major economy with the highest yield on 10-year government bonds was Turkey, with a yield of ** percent. This is due to the risks investors take when investing in Turkey, notably due to high inflation rates potentially eradicating any profits made when using a foreign currency to investing in securities denominated in Turkish lira. Of the major developed economies, United Kingdom had one the highest yield on 10-year government bonds at this time with **** percent, while Switzerland had the lowest at **** percent. How does inflation influence the yields of government bonds? Inflation reduces purchasing power over time. Due to this, investors seek higher returns to offset the anticipated decrease in purchasing power resulting from rapid price rises. In countries with high inflation, government bond yields often incorporate investor expectations and risk premiums, resulting in comparatively higher rates offered by these bonds. Why are government bond rates significant? Government bond rates are an important indicator of financial markets, serving as a benchmark for borrowing costs, interest rates, and investor sentiment. They affect the cost of government borrowing, influence the price of various financial instruments, and serve as a reflection of expectations regarding inflation and economic growth. For instance, in financial analysis and investing, people often use the 10-year U.S. government bond rates as a proxy for the longer-term risk-free rate.