Apart from risk components, several macroeconomic factors—such as Federal Reserve (the Fed) policy, federal budget deficit or surplus, international factors, and levels of business activity—influence interest rates. Based on your understanding of the impact of macroeconomic factors, identify which of the following statements are true or false: Statements True False The larger the federal deficit, other things held constant, the higher are interest rates. When the economy is weakening, the Fed is likely to increase short-term interest rates. During recessions, short-term interest rates decline more sharply than long-term interest rates. The Federal Reserve’s ability to use monetary policy to control economic activity in the United States is limited because US interest rates are highly dependent on interest rates in other parts of the world.
Cost of Capital
Shareholders and investors who invest into the capital of the firm desire to have a suitable return on their investment funding. The cost of capital reflects what shareholders expect. It is a discount rate for converting expected cash flow into present cash flow.
Capital Structure
Capital structure is the combination of debt and equity employed by an organization in order to take care of its operations. It is an important concept in corporate finance and is expressed in the form of a debt-equity ratio.
Weighted Average Cost of Capital
The Weighted Average Cost of Capital is a tool used for calculating the cost of capital for a firm wherein proportional weightage is assigned to each category of capital. It can also be defined as the average amount that a firm needs to pay its stakeholders and for its security to finance the assets. The most commonly used sources of capital include common stocks, bonds, long-term debts, etc. The increase in weighted average cost of capital is an indicator of a decrease in the valuation of a firm and an increase in its risk.
8. Macroeconomic factors that influence interest rate levels
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Statements
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True
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False
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| The larger the federal deficit, other things held constant, the higher are interest rates. |
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| When the economy is weakening, the Fed is likely to increase short-term interest rates. |
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| During recessions, short-term interest rates decline more sharply than long-term interest rates. |
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| The Federal Reserve’s ability to use |
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