Determinants of Aggregate Investment

Inverse Relationship Between Interest Rates and Investment

Figure E5.3: Firm A's Investment Decision

Explaining Aggregate Investment with the Present Value Criterion

A company is considering a one-year project that requires an initial investment of $10,000. The project is guaranteed to provide a single payoff of $10,500 at the end of the year. The company can borrow or lend money at a market interest rate of 6% per year. To determine if the project is worthwhile, the company must compare the present-day value of the future payoff to the initial cost. Which of the following statements correctly analyzes the situation and provides the right decision?

Investment Project Evaluation

Rationale for the NPV Investment Rule

A company is analyzing a potential one-year investment project. After calculating the Net Present Value (NPV) based on the initial investment cost, the expected future payoff, and the current market interest rate, the result is positive, leading to an initial decision to accept the project. Which of the following subsequent changes would be most likely to cause the company to reverse its decision and reject the project?

A firm evaluates a project with an initial cost of $50,000 and an expected return of $52,000 in one year. The relevant annual interest rate is 5%. The firm's manager decides to undertake the project because the total cash return ($52,000) is greater than the initial cash outlay ($50,000). According to the standard investment decision rule, the manager's decision is economically sound.

A company is evaluating four independent, one-year projects. The relevant annual interest rate for discounting is 8%. The costs and payoffs for each project are listed below:

• Project A: Initial Cost $90,000; Future Payoff $100,000
• Project B: Initial Cost $50,000; Future Payoff $53,000
• Project C: Initial Cost $110,000; Future Payoff $118,000
• Project D: Initial Cost $40,000; Future Payoff $45,000

According to the standard investment decision rule, which of these projects should the company undertake?

Break-Even Analysis for an Investment Project

Comparing Investment Decision Rules

A company is evaluating a project that requires an initial investment of $200,000. The project is expected to yield a single payoff in one year. The company's financial analyst has determined that, at the current market interest rate, the project is "marginally acceptable," meaning its net present value is exactly zero. If the project's expected payoff in one year is $210,000, what must the current market interest rate be?

A project requires an initial investment of $50,000 and is expected to generate a payoff of $54,000 in one year. The current market interest rate is 5% per year. After calculating that the Net Present Value (NPV) is positive, two managers discuss the findings.

• Manager A argues: 'The positive NPV means the project is expected to generate value for the firm above and beyond what we could earn from a simple financial investment at the market rate. We should proceed.'
• Manager B argues: 'The project's simple profit is only $4,000. We could invest the $50,000 at 5% and earn $2,500 with less effort. The extra return isn't worth the operational complexity. We should just invest at the market rate.'

Which manager's reasoning is most consistent with the economic principle behind the investment decision rule?

Investment Decision Rule for Risky Projects