Musings on Markets

FEBRUARY 8, 2022

In fact, almost every investment scam in history, from the South Sea Bubble to Bernie Madoff, has offered investors the alluring combination of great opportunities with no or low danger, and induced by sweet talk, but made blind by greed, thousands have fallen prey. Let me use two illustrations to bring this home.

Hurdle Rate 67

Hurdle Rate Currencies Investments Corporate Finance 67

Musings on Markets

JANUARY 5, 2024

In pursuit of an answer to that question, I used company-specific data from Value Line, one of the earliest entrants into the investment data business, to compute an industry average. In January 1993, I was valuing a retail company, and I found myself wondering what a reasonable margin was for a firm operating in the retail business.

Valuation 98

Valuation Financial Analysis Analyzing Data Profit and Loss 98

CFO News Room

JANUARY 7, 2023

Data: Trickle to a Flood! It is perhaps a reflection of my age that I remember when getting data to do corporate financial analysis or valuation was a chore. That said, to use mean reversion in analysis or investing, you need to know what these averages are, either over time or across companies, and data can help in that pursuit. .

Marketing 130

Marketing Valuation Corporate Finance Financial Analysis 130

Musings on Markets

JANUARY 6, 2023

It is perhaps a reflection of my age that I remember when getting data to do corporate financial analysis or valuation was a chore. Thus, without a sense of what comprises a high or low profit margin for a firm, or what the cost of capital is for the typical company, it is easy to create "fairy tale" valuations and analyses.

Valuation 52

Valuation Corporate Finance Financial Analysis Leverage 52

Barry Ritholtz

MAY 9, 2023

He is the Chief Investment Officer of Asset and Wealth Management at Goldman Sachs. He co-chairs a number of the asset management investment committees. I thought this was an absolutely fascinating way to see the world of investment management. Investment banks were not really a known concept in the area where I grew up.

Investments 116

Investments Banking Advertising Finance 116

Barry Ritholtz

NOVEMBER 8, 2022

His latest book could not be more timely, “The Price of Time: The Real Story of Interest,” it’s all about the history of interest rates, money lending, investing speculation, funded by banks and loans and credit. You can imagine, you give a bearish message at a bullish investment conference, and no one listens to you.

Valuation 57

Valuation Finance Investments Banking 57

Musings on Markets

JANUARY 20, 2021

The Price of Risk The price of risk is what investors demand as a premium, an extra return over and above what they can make on a guaranteed investment (risk free), to invest in a risky asset. Intuitively, if you want to earn a higher risk premium on an investment, holding cash flows fixed, you will pay less for that investment today.

Treasury 52

Treasury Investments Valuation Hurdle Rate 52

CFO News Room

NOVEMBER 8, 2022

” look at the Monte Carlo simulations, look at what is the hurdle rate. So, last year, valuations were high, interest rates were low. And I said, “Look, you’ve got to look at where we are with valuations, and you have to look at where the 10-year Treasury is at. Is it at 1.5%?

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Restructuring Planning Accounting Marketing 130

Musings on Markets

JULY 25, 2023

To the extent that divide is not just descriptive, but also drives real world investment, both companies and investors may be misallocating their capital, and I will argue for finer delineations of risk. I have my reasons. I know that the currency choice is the source of angst for many analysts, and I think unnecessarily so.

Hurdle Rate 52

Hurdle Rate Currencies Valuation Marketing 52