The Five Minute Investor from Money Clinic: What is a PE ratio?

When we talk about the relative value of our investments, PE ratios are never far away from the conversation - but what does this mean, and what exactly goes into this calculation? In the latest episode of our Five Minute Investor miniseries, FT consumer editor Claer Barrett challenges FT investment columnist Stuart Kirk to break down the ‘price’ and ‘earnings’ parts of the equation, and elucidate on other ways the PE ratio is used by investors to benchmark the relative value of different shares and other assets in their portfolio. Tune in every Tuesday to catch the latest episode of the Five Minute Investor, and subscribe to Money Clinic wherever you get your podcasts. If you would like Claer to demystify an investment term, email the team at [email protected] or send Claer a DM on social media — she’s @ClaerB on Instagram and TikTok.For more tips on how to organise your money, sign up to Claer's email series 'Sort Your Financial Life Out With Claer Barrett' at FT.com/moneycourseWant more?Check out Claer’s column, Have you got five minutes to talk about investing?Read Stuart Kirk’s latest Skin in the Game column for free.Listen to Money Clinic’s Investment Masterclasses, such as Stuart Kirk has ‘skin in the game’, ‘Money is basically a fiction’, and more.Disclaimer: The Money Clinic podcast is a general discussion about financial topics and does not constitute an investment recommendation or individual financial advice.Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Tamara Kormornick. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s global head of audio.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.