Calculate Daily Returns with Pandas DataFrame

Question

Here is my Pandas data frame:

prices = pandas.DataFrame([1035.23, 1032.47, 1011.78, 1010.59, 1016.03, 1007.95, 
              1022.75, 1021.52, 1026.11, 1027.04,         


        

Answer 1

Why not use the very convenient pct_change method provided by pandas by default:

import pandas as pd

prices = pandas.DataFrame([1035.23, 1032.47, 1011.78, 1010.59, 1016.03, 1007.95, 
          1022.75, 1021.52, 1026.11, 1027.04, 1030.58, 1030.42,
          1036.24, 1015.00, 1015.20])

daily_return = prices.pct_change(1) # 1 for ONE DAY lookback
monthly_return = prices.pct_change(21) # 21 for ONE MONTH lookback
annual_return = prices.pct_change(252) # 252 for ONE YEAR lookback

Original prices:

print(prices)
          0                                                                    
0   1035.23                                                                    
1   1032.47                                                                    
2   1011.78                                                                    
3   1010.59                                                                    
4   1016.03                                                                    
5   1007.95                                                                    
6   1022.75                                                                    
7   1021.52                                                                    
8   1026.11                                                                    
9   1027.04                                                                    
10  1030.58                                                                    
11  1030.42                                                                    
12  1036.24                                                                    
13  1015.00                                                                    
14  1015.20                                                                    

Daily Return as prices.pct_change(1):

print(prices.pct_change(1))
           0                                                                   
0        NaN                                                                   
1  -0.002666                                                                   
2  -0.020039                                                                   
3  -0.001176                                                                   
4   0.005383                                                                   
5  -0.007953                                                                   
6   0.014683                                                                   
7  -0.001203                                                                   
8   0.004493                                                                   
9   0.000906                                                                   
10  0.003447                                                                   
11 -0.000155                                                                   
12  0.005648                                                                   
13 -0.020497                                                                   
14  0.000197