• Investment is the amount spent by businesses to add to the existing capital stock over a given period
Flow of investment is quite small compared to the stock of capital.
• Capital wears out over time must include depreciation, d • The complete formula for the rental cost of capital is:
The complete formula for trhe rcer nt ald co stio f cae pi tald is
of capital
• Diminishing marginal product of capital means that each successive unit of capital yields less than the previous unit Figure 14-2
• An increase in the rental cost of capital can only be justified by an increase in the marginal product of capital, and a lower level of K
14-4
The Desired Capital Stock
• Firms use capital, along with labor and other resources, to produce output The goal of a given firm is to maximize profits