Chapter 12: Cash Flow Estimation and Risk Analysis
54. Which of the following procedures does the text say is used most frequently by businesses when they do capital
budgeting analyses?
The firm’s corporate, or overall, WACC is used to discount all project cash flows to find the projects’ NPVs.
Then, depending on how risky different projects are judged to be, the calculated NPVs are scaled up or down
to adjust for differential risk.
Differential project risk cannot be accounted for by using “risk-adjusted discount rates” because it is highly
subjective and difficult to justify. It is better to not risk adjust at all.
Other things held constant, if returns on a project are thought to be positively correlated with the returns on
other firms in the economy, then the project’s NPV will be found using a lower discount rate than would be
appropriate if the project’s returns were negatively correlated.
Monte Carlo simulation uses a computer to generate random sets of inputs, those inputs are then used to
determine a trial NPV, and a number of trial NPVs are averaged to find the project’s expected NPV. Sensitivity
and scenario analyses, on the other hand, require much more information regarding the input variables,
including probability distributions and correlations among those variables. This makes it easier to implement a
simulation analysis than a scenario or sensitivity analysis, hence simulation is the most frequently used
procedure.
DCF techniques were originally developed to value passive investments (stocks and bonds). However, capital
budgeting projects are not passive investments – managers can often take positive actions after the investment
has been made that alter the cash flow stream. Opportunities for such actions are called real options. Real
options are valuable, but this value is not captured by conventional NPV analysis. Therefore, a project’s real
options must be considered separately.
FOFM.BRIG.17.12.00 – Comprehensive
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Capital budgeting concepts
55. Langston Labs has an overall (composite) WACC of 10%, which reflects the cost of capital for its average asset. Its
assets vary widely in risk, and Langston evaluates low-risk projects with a WACC of 8%, average-risk projects at 10%,
and high-risk projects at 12%. The company is considering the following projects:
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Risk techniques
Bloom’s: Analysis
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