Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
The CAGR is: " + cagrPercentage.toFixed(2) + "%"; }Understanding Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
The Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) is a financial metric that measures the average annual rate of return of an investment over a specified period of time longer than one year. It smooths out volatility and provides a single, representative growth rate for a period. CAGR is particularly useful for comparing the performance of different investments or for understanding the historical growth of a business metric.
How is CAGR Calculated?
The formula for CAGR is as follows:
CAGR = ((Ending Value / Beginning Value) ^ (1 / Number of Years)) - 1
Where:
- Ending Value: The value of the investment at the end of the period.
- Beginning Value: The value of the investment at the beginning of the period.
- Number of Years: The total number of years in the period.
The result is then typically multiplied by 100 to express it as a percentage.
Why Use CAGR?
CAGR is a valuable tool for several reasons:
- Smooths Volatility: It provides a consistent growth rate, ignoring the year-to-year fluctuations that can occur with investments.
- Performance Comparison: It allows for straightforward comparison of the historical performance of different investments, projects, or business metrics over the same time frame.
- Forecasting: While not a predictor of future results, CAGR can be used to project potential future values based on historical growth trends.
- Business Valuation: Companies often use CAGR to report on revenue, profit, or customer growth over time.
Example Calculation:
Let's say an investment started with a value of $10,000 (Beginning Value) and grew to $25,000 (Ending Value) over 5 years (Number of Years).
- Beginning Value = 10,000
- Ending Value = 25,000
- Number of Years = 5
Using the formula:
CAGR = ((25,000 / 10,000) ^ (1 / 5)) - 1
CAGR = (2.5 ^ 0.2) - 1
CAGR = 1.2011 - 1
CAGR = 0.2011
As a percentage, the CAGR is 20.11%.
Limitations of CAGR:
It's important to note that CAGR is a historical measure and does not account for the risk taken to achieve those returns. It also doesn't reflect the actual year-by-year performance, which might have involved significant ups and downs.