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A note resolving the debate on “The weighted average cost of capital is not quite right”

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  • Keef, Stephen P.
  • Khaled, Mohammed S.
  • Roush, Melvin L.

Abstract

Miller (2009a) derives a weighted average cost of capital for the special case where the cash flows to equity and the cash flows to debt are annuities. The paper attracts debate. We show that the weighted average cost of capital is redundant in a world where interest paid is not tax deductible. The required rate of return on unlevered equity will consistently and reliably estimate the net present value of any project no matter the idiosyncratic beliefs of the analyst as to the year-by-year leverage of the project, or of the firm. We recommend that the weighted average cost of capital method is discarded.

Suggested Citation

  • Keef, Stephen P. & Khaled, Mohammed S. & Roush, Melvin L., 2012. "A note resolving the debate on “The weighted average cost of capital is not quite right”," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 52(4), pages 438-442.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:quaeco:v:52:y:2012:i:4:p:438-442
    DOI: 10.1016/j.qref.2012.07.004
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Bade, Benjamin, 2009. "Comment on "The weighted average cost of capital is not quite right"," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 49(4), pages 1476-1480, November.
    2. Pierru, Axel, 2009. ""The weighted average cost of capital is not quite right": A rejoinder," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 49(4), pages 1481-1484, November.
    3. Pierru, Axel, 2009. ""The weighted average cost of capital is not quite right": A comment," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 49(3), pages 1219-1223, August.
    4. Miles, James A. & Ezzell, John R., 1980. "The Weighted Average Cost of Capital, Perfect Capital Markets, and Project Life: A Clarification," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 15(3), pages 719-730, September.
    5. Miller, Richard A., 2009. "The weighted average cost of capital is not quite right: Reply to M. Pierru," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 49(3), pages 1213-1218, August.
    6. Miller, Richard A., 2009. "The weighted average cost of capital is not quite right," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 49(1), pages 128-138, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Fabrizio Cacciafesta, 2015. "Using the WACC to rate a new project," CEIS Research Paper 339, Tor Vergata University, CEIS, revised 10 Apr 2015.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    WACC; Discount rate; Net present value; Leverage;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G31 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Capital Budgeting; Fixed Investment and Inventory Studies
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill

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