Business and Personal Finance Dictionary

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• NET PRESENT VALUE
  
  Is one of the building block processes for finance. It provides a methodology for evaluating and pricing securities and projects. In a simple case it is the discount mechanism for a zero coupon security. Here, there is one payment predicated either on interest or principal. By knowing the time left to maturity, assuming no option features, and knowing the discount rate, one can price or evaluate the zero coupon. Pricing bonds is an extension of this process. Now, instead of evaluating, one payment, there is an entire interest and principal payment stream. For equities, the process evaluates expected cash or dividend flows and the residual value of the enterprise. Complexity arises when there are multiple discount rates (bids and offers), yield curve shapes, and credit differences. Even the selection of discrete, compounding or accretion modeling can make a substantial impact on the value of a simple zero coupon bond.
  
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