Compounding effect

From ACT Wiki
Revision as of 14:45, 25 March 2015 by imported>Brianlenoach@hotmail.co.uk (Add link.)
Jump to navigationJump to search

The additional growth or additional interest, resulting from the compounding effects of - for example - interest on interest.

Another example is the compounding effect of growth on growth.


Example

Interest quoted at 6% per annum, compounded annually, for two years maturity, means that the interest accumulated after two years is:

= ( 1.06 x 1.06 ) - 1

= 12.36% for the two year period.


Without the additional interest on interest, the total interest would have been simply

6% per annum x 2 years

= 12.00%.


So the compounding effect of interest on interest here

= 12.36% - 12.00%

= 0.36% over the two year period ( = 6% x 6% ).


When both the number of periods and the rate of growth/interest are low, compounding effects are relatively small.

When either the number of periods or the rate of growth/interest - or both - are greater, compounding effects quickly become very much larger.


See also