Present Value Question

A new copy of a book costs $118. You buy it at that price and then after one month you sell it for $80. You could have put your money in a 1 month CD that pays 2.4% annually.

In present value terms, how much did you pay on the day of purchase to “rent” this book for one month?

Thanks for the help.

21 Comments
 

Oh good god, I can't believe I have to point out the obvious. To the naked eye, it appears like this:

2.4%/12 = .2% (rounded) 2.5%/12 = .2% (rounded)

To a more astute eye, the issue lies in your inconsistent use of significant figures:

2.4%/12 = 0.002000 2.5%/12 = 0.002083

Hence, 38.17.

 

The question was what the cost to "rent" the book would be in present value terms, so you take all CF associated with the book and PV it.

Why are you compounding $118 (not 120 btw) by the CD rate?

Not buying the book and investing it into a CD has absolutely nothing to do with anything. The CD rate is only shown as an opportunity cost so you know what to discount it by.

 
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