Musings on Markets

JANUARY 31, 2024

In my last three posts, I looked at the macro (equity risk premiums, default spreads, risk free rates) and micro (company risk measures) that feed into the expected returns we demand on investments, and argued that these expected returns become hurdle rates for businesses, in the form of costs of equity and capital.

Equity 79

Equity Book Value Start-ups Corporate Finance 79

Musings on Markets

JANUARY 5, 2024

In my corporate finance class, I describe all decisions that companies make as falling into one of three buckets – investing decisions, financing decision and dividend decisions. Return on Equity 1. Equity Risk Premiums 2. Costs of equity & capital 4. Financing Flows 5. Return on Equity 2.

Dividends 98

Dividends Risk Premium Equity Book Value 98

Brian DeChesare

SEPTEMBER 13, 2023

Ask anyone interested in distressed debt hedge funds for “the pitch,” and they’ll probably mention one of the following: “It’s like long/short equity or credit , but more interesting!” Distressed investing offers equity-like returns with lower risk.” Distressed assets offer non-correlated returns, similar to global macro.”

Equity 83

Equity Banking EBITDA Start-ups 83

Musings on Markets

FEBRUARY 27, 2023

To fund the business, you can either use borrowed money (debt) or owner's funds (equity), and while both are sources of capital, they represent different claims on the business. Even government-owned businesses fall under its umbrella, with the key difference being that equity is provided by the taxpayers.

Equity 52

Equity EBITDA Start-ups Net Debt 52

Musings on Markets

MARCH 8, 2023

This is the last of my data update posts for 2023, and in this one, I will focus on dividends and buybacks, perhaps the most most misunderstood and misplayed element of corporate finance. To illustrate the heat that buybacks evoke, consider two stories in the last two weeks where they have been in the news.

Dividends 91

Dividends Start-ups Finance Corporate Finance 91

Musings on Markets

FEBRUARY 27, 2022

After paying taxes on this income, the residual amount represents net income, the final measure of equity earnings, and the basis for computing earnings per share and other widely used measures of profitability used by equity investors.

Start-ups 80

Start-ups Equity Book Value Marketability 80

Musings on Markets

JANUARY 6, 2023

Check rules of thumb : Investing and corporate finance are full of rules of thumb, many of long standing. For example, I have seen it asserted that a stock that trades at less than book value is cheap or that a stock that trades at more than twenty times EBITDA is expensive. Cost of Equity 1. Price to Book 3.

Risk Premium 52

Risk Premium Dividends EBITDA Start-ups 52