The Principles of Economics, with Applications to Practical ProblemsFetter, Frank A. (Frank Albert)
General
The Principles of Economics, with Applications to Practical Problems
Fetter, Frank A. (Frank Albert)
Economics
4. _The rate of capitalization of income and the rate of contract
interest on money capital tend to unite into a single market rate._ A
person wishing to exchange present goods or income for future goods may
buy an income-bearer at its capitalized value, or he may create a new
rent-bearer. Having saved a sum of money, either he may purchase a
factory known to be profitable; or he may hire the services of men and
unite them with materials and machinery to create a new industry or a
new form of income-bearer; or he may loan his money to others to make
either kind of purchase. In any one of the three cases it is evident
that capitalization (that is, the discounting of future rents in goods)
is the primary and important fact making possible the emergence of a
surplus, or net yield, over and above the value of the capital. The
expected uses contained not only in whole industrial establishments, but
in the particular materials and agents united to form new agents, are
purchased at their capitalized value; that is, the future uses have been
discounted and have entered into the price of the goods as less than
they will be when realized as actual rents. This is the crucial point in
the theory either of contract interest or of time value; for to explain
the rate of interest as due to the process of "producing" capital agents
out of other materials, is to beg the question involved. The surplus
yielded by capital above its cost is but the realization of a net income
made possible by the discounting of future rents.
[Sidenote: The choice open to the borrower of wealth]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account