"A great deal more fiction is written in Microsoft Excel than in Microsoft Word" - Anonymous Previously, I have written about what, according to me, is one of the biggest mistakes that people make in a DCF valuation. Two years of experience post that article has only reinforced my belief in this as I have … Continue reading How to write fiction using excel
Top 10 mistakes in a DCF
In November, we wrote a post on the biggest mistake in a Discounted Cash Flow (“DCF”) model. There are, of course, a number of other mistakes (albeit smaller in comparison) that can creep into a DCF. And surprisingly, you would find these mistakes being committed by amateurs and professionals alike. Yes, even investment bankers and equity … Continue reading Top 10 mistakes in a DCF
Can equity risk premiums predict market direction?
Equity risk premiums are useful. But can they alone tell whether the market is over- or under-valued? We take a closer look in the below article... A fellow student in the online valuation class of NYU recently requested my thoughts on a report from a top bank regarding equity risk premiums (“ERP”). The crux of … Continue reading Can equity risk premiums predict market direction?
Why net depreciation from capex for computing reinvestment rate
We recently came across a question on Quora about why Prof. Damodaran subtracts “depreciation from capex when computing the reinvestment rate of a business.” It further goes on to state the following: "In his book, [Prof. Damodaran] seems to argue that depreciation is a cash inflow that pays for a part of capex, but I don't … Continue reading Why net depreciation from capex for computing reinvestment rate
Demonetization Blues: Mutual Fund Performance during the latest Correction
What had been a fairly decent year for the equity markets till September 2016 was marred by demonetization in the last two months of the year. The markets gave up most of the gains and ended up marginally positive for the year. Nifty 500 (the index which we feel represents the broader Indian market) reached … Continue reading Demonetization Blues: Mutual Fund Performance during the latest Correction
The Best and Worst of Mutual Funds in 2016
At Capital Surge, we actively track about 50 equity mutual fund schemes by various AMCs. These funds have been shortlisted based on their ratings on Morningstar. Below, we provide a review of the best and worst of mutual fund schemes in 2016. A word of caution – this summary is purely based on the schemes' … Continue reading The Best and Worst of Mutual Funds in 2016
Estimating an Equity Risk Premium for India
Note: The concept of implied equity risk premium has been developed by Prof. Aswath Damodaran. In this article, we apply his methods to determine an implied equity risk premium for India. One of the most popular ways of valuing a company is to do a discounted cash flow valuation. According to this method, the value … Continue reading Estimating an Equity Risk Premium for India
Why you should never lose (a lot of) money
Very early in my investing career, I came across a link on a website which read: "Want to know Warren Buffett's rules of investing? Click Here" I clicked and this is what I got: Rule No. 1: Never lose money; and Rule No. 2: Never forget Rule No. 1 Needless to say, I felt disappointed. … Continue reading Why you should never lose (a lot of) money