What is NPV? and... What is IRR?
posted on
Sep 04, 2010 08:54AM
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Net present value (NPV)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Net_present_value
The NPV of a sequence of cash flows takes as input the cash flows and a discount rate or discount curve and outputting a price; the converse process in DCF analysis, taking as input a sequence of cash flows and a price and inferring as output a discount rate (the discount rate which would yield the given price as NPV) is called the yield, and is more widely used in bond trading.
Internal Rate of Return (IRR)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_rate_of_return
The internal rate of return (IRR) is a rate of return used in capital budgeting to measure and compare the profitability of investments. It is also called the discounted cash flow rate of return (DCFROR) or simply the rate of return (ROR).[1] In the context of savings and loans the IRR is also called the effective interest rate. The term internal refers to the fact that its calculation does not incorporate environmental factors (e.g., the interest rate or inflation).