Living with Noise: Valuation in the Face of Uncertainty

17 Pages Posted: 6 Nov 2015

See all articles by Aswath Damodaran

Aswath Damodaran

New York University - Stern School of Business; New York University (NYU) - Leonard N. Stern School of Business

Date Written: 2013

Abstract

Uncertainty is a fact of life in business and investing, but the responses that analysts and investors have to uncertainty is often unhealthy, ranging from denial and paralysis, at one extreme, to rules of thumb that have no basis in common sense, at the other. In this paper, we look at how uncertainty is embedded in all valuations, though the amount of uncertainty you face will vary across companies, countries and time. We categorize uncertainty into groups, estimation versus economic, micro versus macro and discrete versus continuous, and argue that each grouping needs a different response. Finally, we develop tools that we can use to get a handle on uncertainty and deal with it better in valuation.

Suggested Citation

Damodaran, Aswath, Living with Noise: Valuation in the Face of Uncertainty (2013). Journal of Applied Finance (Formerly Financial Practice and Education), Vol. 23, No. 2, 2013, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2684015

Aswath Damodaran (Contact Author)

New York University - Stern School of Business ( email )

Stern School of Business
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New York, NY 10012-1126
United States
212-998-0340 (Phone)
212-995-4233 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.damodaran.com

New York University (NYU) - Leonard N. Stern School of Business ( email )

44 West 4th Street
Suite 9-160
New York, NY NY 10012
United States

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