The price to earnings ratio of the pharmaceutical industry on a stock exchange was p at the beginning of the year 2014 and q at the end of the year 2014. Company X, which was a pharmaceutical company had its earnings to price ratio equal to a at the beginning of the year 2014 and b at the end of the year 2014. By what percentage was the percentage increase in the price to earnings ratio of company X less than that of the pharmaceutical industry?
Let us take values for all the variablesa=2, b=1, p=3 and q=9
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The price to earnings ratio of the pharmaceutical industry on a stock exchange was p at the beginning of the year 2014 and q at the end of the year 2014.
% increase = \(\frac{q-p}{p}*100=\frac{9-3}{3}*100=200%\)
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Company X, which was a pharmaceutical company had its earnings to price ratio equal to a at the beginning of the year 2014 and b at the end of the year 2014.
So E to P is a and b, and P to E will be 1/a and 1/b
% increase = \(\frac{(\frac{1}{1})-(\frac{1}{2})}{(\frac{1}{2})}*100=100%\)
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By what percentage was the percentage increase in the price to earnings ratio of company X less than that of the pharmaceutical industry?
% decrease = \(\frac{200-100}{200}*100=50%\)
Let us test the choices now..A. \(\frac{aq - pb}{a(q - p)}*100=\frac{2*9-1*3}{2(9-3)}*100=125%\)
B. \(\frac{bq - ap}{b(q - p)}*100=\frac{1*9-2*3}{1(9-3)}*100=50%\)...YES
C. \(\frac{bq - ap}{b(p - q)}*100=\frac{1*9-2*3}{1(3-9)}*100=-50%\)
D. \(\frac{aq - pb}{a(p - q)}*100=\frac{2*9-1*3}{2(3-9)}*100=5-125%\)
E. None of the above
B