Wednesday 28 December 2011

Measuring Returns on Capital

What makes a company great?

It is not rapid growth.

It's not landing on a best-of-the-year list.

Rather, it is the ability to generate high returns on capital.

Suppose you decide to open a business.  The money you spend building the business is your capital.

Whether the business is a good investment depends on how much profit you make as a percentage of that capital.

If you earn a profit of $10,000 in a given year and you've invested $100,000 in building the business, you've made a 10% return on your capital.

Not spectacular, but better than a savings account.



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