BacktestFolio · Glossary

Information Ratio

In plain language

The Sharpe ratio measures return per unit of total risk; the Information Ratio measures excess return per unit of deviation from the benchmark. A high IR points to more stable outperformance; brochure-style cutoffs such as 0.5 depend on the mandate and the period.

Technical definition

Excess return over the benchmark divided by the Tracking Error. Measures how consistently a strategy outperforms the benchmark: a high IR means the outperformance is systematic and not merely the result of luck.