TITLE: 
                        
                            The Distribution of Returns
                                
                                
                                    AUTHORS: 
                                            David E. Harris 
                                                    
                                                        KEYWORDS: 
                        Statistical Distributions, Cauchy Distribution, Stock Market Returns, Accounting Ratios, Ratio Distributions 
                                                    
                                                    
                                                        JOURNAL NAME: 
                        Journal of Mathematical Finance,  
                        Vol.7 No.3, 
                        August
                                                        31,
                        2017
                                                    
                                                    
                                                        ABSTRACT: The distribution of the returns on investment depends on the rules in the economic system. The article reviews various return distributions, ranging from equity securities in equilibrium, to antiques bought at auction, to debt instruments with uncertain payouts. A general methodology is provided to construct distributions of returns.