Although similar to some degree, the two have some key differences. It is important not to confuse Financial Sensitivity Analysis with Financial Scenario Analysis.
Learn how to build a table like this in our Free Excel Crash Course! Download the Free TemplateĮnter your name and email in the form below and download the free template now! Based on John’s Financial Sensitivity Analysis, such increases in traffic will result in an increase in revenue of 14%, 28%, and 70%, respectively. Using this information, John can predict how much money company XYZ will generate if customer traffic increases by 20%, 40%, or 100%. During the previous year’s holiday season, HOLIDAY CO sold 500 packs of Christmas decorations, resulting in total sales of $10,000.Īfter carrying out a Financial Sensitivity Analysis, John determines that a 10% increase in customer traffic at the mall results in a 7% increase in the number of sales. The average price of a packet of Christmas decorations is $20.
He wants to find out whether an increase in customer traffic at the mall will raise the total sales revenue of HOLIDAY CO and, if so, then by how much.
John knows that the holiday season is approaching and that the mall will be crowded. John is in charge of sales for HOLIDAY CO, a business that sells Christmas decorations at a shopping mall. These functions are both taught step-by-step in our free Excel Crash Course. The analysis is performed in Excel, under the Data section of the ribbon and the “What-if Analysis” button, which contains both “Goal Seek” and “Data Table”. This question can be answered with sensitivity analysis. The “What-If” question would be: “ What would happen to the price of a bond If interest rates went up by 1%?”. Image from CFI’s Scenario & Sensitivity Analysis in Excel Course What-If AnalysisĪ Financial Sensitivity Analysis, also known as a What-If analysis or a What-If simulation exercise, is most commonly used by financial analysts to predict the outcome of a specific action when performed under certain conditions.įinancial Sensitivity Analysis is done within defined boundaries that are determined by the set of independent (input) variables.įor example, sensitivity analysis can be used to study the effect of a change in interest rates on bond prices if the interest rates increased by 1%. As a result, the exact relationship between the inputs and outputs are not well understood. For example, climate models in geography are usually very complex. An opaque function or process is one which, for some reason, can’t be studied and analyzed. It is especially useful in the study and analysis of a “Black Box Process” where the output is an opaque function of several inputs.
In general, sensitivity analysis is used in a wide range of fields, ranging from biology and geography to economics and engineering. Sensitivity Analysis is a tool used in financial modeling to analyze how the different values of a set of independent variables affect a specific dependent variable under certain specific conditions. Updated JanuWhat is Sensitivity Analysis?