We re-examine the basic investment problem of deciding when to incur a sunk cost to obtain a stochastically fluctuating benefit. The optimal investment rule satisfies a trade-off between a larger versus a later net benefit; we show that this trade-off is closely analogous to the standard...

We further elucidate the smooth pasting condition behind optimal early exercise of options. It is easy to show that smooth pasting implies rate of return equalization between the option and the levered position that results from exercise. This yields new economic insights into the optimal early...

A stochastic forest rotation model in the Faustmann tradition is presented and exemplified. The model combines harvesting decisions with the potential to recover or clean up to restore the land after very unfavorable evolutions of the stochastic growth process. Uncertainty is shown to have a...

Several entry-exit models under price uncertainty are discussed by a new markup approach to investment, starting with the classical model by Dixit (1989). The markup approach, introduced by Dixit et al. (1999), enables us to state the expected value of the firm in the entry-exit model as a...