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Abstract

The current extensive literature on irreversible investment decisions makes the assumption of constant interest rate. In this paper we study the impact of interest rate and revenue variability on the decision to carry out an irreversible investment project. Given the generality of the considered valuation problem, we first provide a thorough mathematical characterization of the problem and develop some new results. Contrary to what previous literature has suggested we establish that interest rate variability may have a profound decelerating or accelerating impact on investment demand depending on whether the current interest rate is below or above the long run steady state interest rate. Moreover, and importantly, allowing for interest rate uncertainty is shown to decelerate rational investment demand by raising both the required exercise premium of the irreversible investment opportunity and the value of waiting. Finally, we demonstrate that increased revenue volatility strengthens the negative impact of interest rate uncertainty and vice versa.

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File URL: http://www.cesifo-group.de/portal/page/portal/DocBase_Content/WP/WP-CESifo_Working_Papers/wp-cesifo-2002/wp-cesifo-2002-01/640.PDF
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Bibliographic Info

Paper provided by CESifo Group Munich in its series CESifo Working Paper Series with number 640.

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Date of creation: 2002
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Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_640

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Related research

Keywords: irreversible investment; variable interest rates; free boundary problems.;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:

• C61 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods; Programming Models; Mathematical and Simulation Modeling - - - Optimization Techniques; Programming Models; Dynamic Analysis
• G31 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Capital Budgeting; Fixed Investment and Inventory Studies
• Q23 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - Forestry

References

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Cited by:

1. Alvarez, Luis H. R. & Koskela, Erkki, 2005. "Wicksellian theory of forest rotation under interest rate variability," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 29(3), pages 529-545, March.
   
   • Luis H. R. Alvarez & Erkki Koskela, 2001. "Wicksellian Theory of Forest Rotation under Interest Rate Variability," CESifo Working Paper Series 606, CESifo Group Munich.

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