Discussion

Week 4 Discussion
 
Before beginning work on this week’s discussion forum, please review the link “Doing Discussion Questions Right,” the expanded grading rubric at the end of this assignment, and any specific instructions for this week’s topic.

By the due date assigned, respond to the discussion questions below and submit your responses to the Discussion Area. By the end of the week, comment on your classmates’ responses.

Respond to the questions using the lessons and vocabulary found in the reading.

Support your answers with examples and research and cite your research using the APA format.

Start reviewing and responding to the postings of your classmates as early in the week as possible.

Tasks:
Answer the following questions:

To determine how well an investment is doing, it is important to take into account its return and risk. Rational investors seek to obtain the highest amount of return from an investment with the least amount of risk. The CAPM and the arbitrage pricing theory are alternative methods of identifying the risk and return relationship in an investment or groups of investments. What are the similarities and differences between the two models? In your opinion, which model would be most appropriate for evaluation of a portfolio of investments? Why? Which method would you recommend for a single investment project? Why? Provide your rationale using examples.
When a firm uses debt in its capital structure, it is referred to as a leveraged firm and this concept is referred to as financial leverage. Operating leverage refers to a firm’s fixed costs of production. The higher the fixed costs, the greater the degree of operating leverage that is being employed. How does the degree of operating and financial leverage affect the beta of a firm? For a firm just beginning operations, what recommendations would you make about the use of debt in the capital structure? How would these recommendations affect the company’s beta coefficient and the investors’ required rate of return? Would your recommendations change if the firm were a long-established operation? Why or why not?