What is Beta?
Beta measures how much a stock tends to move compared with the overall market. A beta of 1 means it moves in line with the market, above 1 means bigger swings, and below 1 means smaller swings.
Why it matters
Beta is a quick read on risk from market moves. A utility with a beta of 0.6 is typically calmer than a high-growth tech stock with a beta of 1.5, though beta is based on past behavior and changes.