Because the performance ratio looks at the whole, rather than the sum of the parts, this indicator can take into consideration individual variables that are ignored by current metrics.

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But the official expense ratio doesn't tell the whole story about the portfolio management costs that come out of investors' hides.

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The replacement ratio for the euro zone as a whole is 54%.

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Worse, despite 3, 250 fewer staff, the ratio of costs to income for the whole bank rose to around 90%, from 77% in 2000.

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"This is in spite of the fact the prison as a whole, has a high staff-to-prisoner ratio when compared with other prisons, " he said.

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Their prices average about seven times this year's expected earnings, compared with a price-earnings ratio of about 11 for emerging markets as a whole.

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For these reasons some argue that youth unemployment is better and more accurately represented by using a ratio, calculated as the share of unemployed, as a percentage of the whole youth population.

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Although Index Mundi reports that the 2012 Debt to GDP ratio for Cypress to be a relatively healthy 80.9%, the reality is a whole lot worse.

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