Why are returns on the stock market used as a benchmark in measuring

systematic risk?
Because the stock market portfolio is the most diversified portfolio for which
good return data are available, it is the portfolio that both comes closest to
eliminating all unique risk and has good return data. This makes the returns
on the stock market a practical choice as a benchmark for measuring the
systematic risk of individual assets

Dividend yield:
What is the dividend yield? What does it tell us?
LO1
Solution:
A dividend yield is the ratio of the annual dividend payout divided by the
current market price of a stock. It tells us what percentage return we would
earn from dividends alone if we purchased the stock at its current price.
Alternatively, it tells us what percentage of
the firms
stock value is being distributed to stockholders each year