Hickock Mining is evaluating when to open a gold mine. The mine has 48,000 ounces of gold
Question:
Hickock Mining is evaluating when to open a gold mine. The mine has 48,000 ounces of gold left that can be mined, and mining operations will produce 6,000 ounces per year. The required return on the gold mine is 12 percent, and it will cost $34 million to open the mine. When the mine is opened, the company will sign a contract that will guarantee the price of gold for the remaining life of the mine. If the mine is opened today, each ounce of gold will generate an after-tax cash flow of $1,400 per ounce. If the company waits one year, there is a 60 percent probability that the contract price will generate an after-tax cash flow of $1,600 per ounce and a 40 percent probability that the after-tax cash flow will be $1,300 per ounce. What is the value of the option to wait?
Step by Step Answer:
Corporate Finance
ISBN: 978-0071339575
7th Canadian Edition
Authors: Stephen Ross, Randolph Westerfield, Jeffrey Jaffe, Gordon Ro