Alex is a portfolio manager who has been tasked with evaluating the performance of his investment fund over the past year. He has noted that the fund has outperformed its benchmark index by 3% but is trying to determine if this performance is consistent with acceptable risk levels. Alex decides to utilize the Sharpe Ratio as a measure of risk-adjusted performance.
Which of the following statements best describes the Sharpe Ratio and its application in performance appraisal?