William F. Sharpe

William F. Sharpe
Sharpe in 2007
Born (1934-06-16) June 16, 1934 (age 90)
Alma materUniversity of California, Los Angeles (BA, MA, PhD)
Known forCapital asset pricing model
Sharpe ratio
AwardsNobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (1990)
Scientific career
FieldsEconomics
InstitutionsWilliam F. Sharpe Associates
Stanford University
University of California, Irvine
University of Washington 1961–68
RAND Corporation
Doctoral advisorArmen Alchian
Harry Markowitz (unofficial)
Doctoral studentsHoward Sosin

William Forsyth Sharpe (born June 16, 1934) is an American economist. He is the STANCO 25 Professor of Finance, Emeritus at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, and the winner of the 1990 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.

Sharpe was one of the originators of the capital asset pricing model (CAPM). He created the Sharpe ratio for risk-adjusted investment performance analysis, and he contributed to the development of the binomial method for the valuation of options, the gradient method for asset allocation optimization, and returns-based style analysis for evaluating the style and performance of investment funds.