Relative valuation is a generic term that refers to the notion of comparing the price of an asset to the market value of similar assets. In the field of securities investment, the idea has led to important practical tools, which could presumably spot pricing anomalies. These tools have subsequently become instrumental in enabling analysts and investors to make vital decisions on asset allocation.

In equities, the concept separates into two areas—one pertaining to individual equities and the other to indices.

Individual equities

The most common methodology for individual equities is based on comparing certain financial ratio

Financial ratio

A financial ratio is a relative magnitude of two selected numerical values taken from an enterprise's financial statements. Often used in accounting, there are many standard ratios used to try to evaluate the overall financial condition of a corporation or other organization...

s or multiples, such as the price to book value

P/B ratio

The price-to-book ratio, or P/B ratio, is a financial ratio used to compare a company's book value to its current market price. The calculation can be performed in two ways, but the result should be the same each way. In the first way, the company's market capitalization can be divided by the...

, price to earnings

P/E ratio

The P/E ratio of a stock is a measure of the price paid for a share relative to the annual net income or profit earned by the firm per share...

, EV/EBITDA

EV/EBITDA

EV/EBITDA is a valuation multiple used in finance and investment to measure the value of a company. This important multiple is often used in conjunction with, or as an alternative to, the P/E ratio to determine the fair market value of a company.An advantage of this multiple is that it is capital...

, etc., of the equity in question to those of its peers. This type of approach, which is popular as a strategic tool in the financial industry, is mainly statistical and based on historical data.

Equity indexes

For an equity index the above fails mainly because it is difficult to group indices into peer groups. Consequently, relative valuation here is generally carried out by comparing a national or industry stock index’s performance to the economic and market fundamentals of the related industry or country.

Those fundamentals may include GDP growth, interest rate and inflation forecasts, as well as earnings growth, among others. This style of comparison is popular among practising economists in their attempt to rationalise the connections between the equity markets and the economy.

National equity index are not fully relevant in this respect due to the proportion of multinational companies listed in most national stock markets.