a) You plan to purchase a company and wish to estimate the expected return on the company's equity using a three-factor model. You believe the appropriate factors are the market return, the percentage change in GNP and the oil price return. The market is expected to grow by 6 per cent, GNP is expected to grow by 2 per cent, and the oil price is expected to fall by 5 per cent. The company has betas of 0.8, 0.3 and -0.1 for the market, GNP and oil respectively. The expected rate of return on the equity is 15 percent. What is the revised expected return if the market falls by 8 per cent, GNP contracts by 0.3 per cent and the oil price grows by 9 per cent? b) The UK is found to have two factors, GDP growth and the inflation rate, that generate the returns of all equities. The expected GDP growth rate in the next year is 2 per cent and the expected inflation rate is 1.5 per cent. Pinto plc has an expected return of 10 per cent, a GDP growth rate factor loading of 1.6 and an inflation rate factor loading of -0.5. If the actual GDP growth rate turns out to be 3 per cent and inflation is 2.3 per cent, what is your estimate of the expected return on Pinto plc?
