Hello Mr Sir, Q 290 2022-2023 F9 Kaplan exam kit
In the following question for asking for the different approaches for dealing with inflation with cash flows in the model Answer they are talking about deflating the current cash flows to reach the real cash flows and then discounting with the real discount rate,
So it is a new thing about deflating.Do we have to deflate the cash flows or only have to ignore the inflation and the discount with real discount rate as you said in the lecture.
Can you clarify Sir,
Thanks,
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Q
In relation to investment decision 3, describe the two approaches for dealing with inflation AND provide a reasoned recommendation as to which approach Crocket’s management should follow. ?
Answer
When appraising an investment, the treatment of inflation needs to be considered as it will affect both cash flows and the required rate of return used as the discount rate. Real?terms and nominal?terms approaches to investment appraisal differ in the way that the effects of inflation are incorporated into the appraisal calculation.
Nominal?terms approach With the nominal?terms approach (also known as the money method), both the cash flows and the discount rate incorporate the effects of inflation. The cost of capital would also need to include the effects of general inflation on the investors’ required rate of return. This means Crocket Co will need to apply the specific rates of inflation to sales, material costs and other cash flows and ensure the cash flows in the appraisal incorporate these. The uncertainty surrounding the rates of inflation that Crocket Co faces with this project will certainly make an appraisal in nominal?terms more difficult to prepare with any accuracy and this should be considered when reviewing the results. Real?terms approach A real terms approach would exclude the effects of general inflation. Therefore, nominal cash flows incorporating the effects of specific inflation rates would be deflated by the general rate of inflation to give real?terms cash flows. The discount rate will also exclude the effects of inflation. Consequently, a real discount rate would be used which represents the investors’ base level of return for risk before inflation is taken into account.
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Deflating cash flows
When there is inflation, we either discount the nominal (actual) cash flows at the nominal (actual) cost of capital, or alternatively we discount the real cash flows (the cash flows at current prices - I.e. without inflation) at the real cost of capital (i.e. the cost of capital without inflation).
Usually in exam questions it is the first approach.
This question was actually rather silly of the examiner (which is probably why he has only done it the one time), but if we use the second approach and discount at the real cost of capital we need to remove the inflation from the actual cash flows.
Hi Sir,
So usually we will not need to remove the inflation from the cash flows? for the second approach,we get ready as real cash flows?
Thanks,
The real cash flows are the flows without inflation (i.e. at current prices). They are not the actual cash flows - the actual/nominal cash flows include inflation.
Thanks a lot Sir.
You are welcome :-)
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