Introduction to Finance Essay

Words: 2763
Pages: 12

Question 1
(5 points) In a world with no frictions (i.e., taxes, etc.), having debt is always better because it increases the value of the firm/projet. Your Answer | Score | Explanation | False | 5.00 | Correct. You understand the irrelevance of financing. | Total | 5.00/5.00 | | Question Explanation | | | Fundamental question about value creation. |
Question 2
(5) the return of equity is equal to the return on debt of a project/firm Your Answer | Score | Explanation | Never true | 5.00 | Correct. Equity is always riskier. | Total | 5.00/5.00 | | Question Explanation | | | Financing`s effects on equity. |
Question 3
(10 points) Suppose the expected returns on equity of two firms, Macrosoft and Microsoft, that

You are evaluating a new energy company that is going to use wind and will have two divisions: an electricity production unit and a Sales unit. [Transportation of the electricity will be outsourced.] Your CEO and you are arguing about whether projects that emerge in the two units should have the same cost of capital (WACC), or whether the discount rates should be different. If different, what should be the relative magnitudes of the discount rates, that is, which unit Production or Sales should have the higher discount rate. Assume the discount rates of the two units are labeled as P and S, for the production and Sales units, respectively. What do you think? Your Answer | Score | Explanation | S>P | 15.00 | | Total | 15.00/15.00 | | Question Explanation | | | This is a crucial issue; much misunderstood in the real world (except by real value creators). |
Question 10
(15 points) NorthSouth Airlines has been granted permission to fly passengers between major U.S. cities. The new company faces competition from four airlines that operate between the major cities. The betas of the equity of the four major competitors (A, B, C, D) are 2.25, 2.50, 2.75, and 3.00; and the debt-to-equity ratios of these four companies (in the same order: A, B, C, D) are 0.21, 0.42, 0.63, 0.83. Although these D/E ratios vary, all airline debt is rated the same. Suppose the yield on airline debt is 7%, the risk-free rate is 3%