VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Thursday, October 30, 2025

Tool Comparison

Damodaran — Cost of Capital by Sector (US) vs World Bank Open Data (data.worldbank.org) comparison

Compare pricing, supported platforms, categories, and standout capabilities to decide which tool fits your workflow.

Quick takeaways

Damodaran — Cost of Capital by Sector (US) adds Valuation Models, Financials, and Education coverage that World Bank Open Data (data.worldbank.org) skips.

World Bank Open Data (data.worldbank.org) includes Data APIs, GDP, Inflation Rates, and Unemployment Rates categories that Damodaran — Cost of Capital by Sector (US) omits.

In depth comparison

Damodaran — Cost of Capital by Sector (US) logo

Damodaran — Cost of Capital by Sector (US)

pages.stern.nyu.edu

Editor’s pick Hands-on review

US industry-level WACC dataset compiled by Prof. Aswath Damodaran. Includes sector betas, cost of equity, cost of debt (pre/after-tax), capital structure weights, and industry counts. Updated annually (January snapshot). Best used as a sector baseline; company-specific WACC should adjust for firm capital structure, tax, and risk. See 'Cost of Capital Central' for methodology deep-dives.

Platforms

Web

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

  • US industry table with: Industry, # of firms, Beta, Cost of Equity, E/(D+E), Std. Dev. in stock, Cost of Debt, Tax Rate, After‑tax Cost of Debt, D/(D+E), and WACC.
  • Direct Excel download (wacc.xls) for offline analysis.
  • Annual ‘Data used as of January’ snapshot; site also links to global datasets hub.
  • Methodology resources: lectures/notes on estimating beta, cost of equity, and WACC (bottom‑up betas, unlevering/re‑levering, ERP usage).

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World Bank Open Data (data.worldbank.org) logo

World Bank Open Data (data.worldbank.org)

data.worldbank.org

Global macroeconomic and development indicators with fully open access. The Indicators API requires no API key, and the DataBank portal supports direct downloads in CSV, Excel, TXT, and SDMX. Most datasets are available under the CC BY 4.0 license, though a few third-party series carry different terms.

Platforms

WebAPI

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

  • Programmatic access to nearly 16,000 time-series indicators across 45+ databases, with many series spanning over 50 years.
  • Indicators API requires no key and supports both JSON and XML responses with flexible query styles.
  • Query capacity includes up to 60 indicators per call, subject to URL length limits.
  • DataBank offers one-click downloads in Excel, CSV, TXT, and SDMX, along with embeddable charts, maps, and tables.
  • Individual indicator pages allow direct CSV, Excel, and XML exports.

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Where they differ

Damodaran — Cost of Capital by Sector (US)

Distinct strengths include:

  • US industry table with: Industry, # of firms, Beta, Cost of Equity, E/(D+E), Std. Dev. in stock, Cost of Debt, Tax Rate, After‑tax Cost of Debt, D/(D+E), and WACC.
  • Direct Excel download (wacc.xls) for offline analysis.
  • Annual ‘Data used as of January’ snapshot; site also links to global datasets hub.
  • Methodology resources: lectures/notes on estimating beta, cost of equity, and WACC (bottom‑up betas, unlevering/re‑levering, ERP usage).

World Bank Open Data (data.worldbank.org)

Distinct strengths include:

  • Programmatic access to nearly 16,000 time-series indicators across 45+ databases, with many series spanning over 50 years.
  • Indicators API requires no key and supports both JSON and XML responses with flexible query styles.
  • Query capacity includes up to 60 indicators per call, subject to URL length limits.
  • DataBank offers one-click downloads in Excel, CSV, TXT, and SDMX, along with embeddable charts, maps, and tables.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

AttributeDamodaran — Cost of Capital by Sector (US)World Bank Open Data (data.worldbank.org)
Categories

Which research workflows each platform targets

Shared: Interest Rates

Unique: Valuation Models, Financials, Education

Shared: Interest Rates

Unique: Data APIs, GDP, Inflation Rates, Unemployment Rates

Asset types

Supported asset classes and universes

Stocks, Real Estate

Other

Experience levels

Who each product is built for

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Platforms

Where you can access the product

Web

Web, API

Pricing

High-level pricing models

Free

Free

Key features

Core capabilities called out by each vendor

Unique

  • US industry table with: Industry, # of firms, Beta, Cost of Equity, E/(D+E), Std. Dev. in stock, Cost of Debt, Tax Rate, After‑tax Cost of Debt, D/(D+E), and WACC.
  • Direct Excel download (wacc.xls) for offline analysis.
  • Annual ‘Data used as of January’ snapshot; site also links to global datasets hub.
  • Methodology resources: lectures/notes on estimating beta, cost of equity, and WACC (bottom‑up betas, unlevering/re‑levering, ERP usage).

Unique

  • Programmatic access to nearly 16,000 time-series indicators across 45+ databases, with many series spanning over 50 years.
  • Indicators API requires no key and supports both JSON and XML responses with flexible query styles.
  • Query capacity includes up to 60 indicators per call, subject to URL length limits.
  • DataBank offers one-click downloads in Excel, CSV, TXT, and SDMX, along with embeddable charts, maps, and tables.
  • Individual indicator pages allow direct CSV, Excel, and XML exports.
  • SDMX API available, with data calls capped at roughly 15,000 datapoints per request.
Tested

Verified by hands-on testing inside Find My Moat

Yes

Not yet

Editor pick

Featured inside curated shortlists

Highlighted

Standard listing

Frequently Asked Questions

Which workflows do Damodaran — Cost of Capital by Sector (US) and World Bank Open Data (data.worldbank.org) both support?

Both platforms cover Interest Rates workflows, so you can research those use cases in either tool before digging into the feature differences below.

Do Damodaran — Cost of Capital by Sector (US) and World Bank Open Data (data.worldbank.org) require subscriptions?

Both Damodaran — Cost of Capital by Sector (US) and World Bank Open Data (data.worldbank.org) keep freemium access with optional paid upgrades, so you can trial each platform before committing.

How can you access Damodaran — Cost of Capital by Sector (US) and World Bank Open Data (data.worldbank.org)?

Both Damodaran — Cost of Capital by Sector (US) and World Bank Open Data (data.worldbank.org) prioritize web or desktop access. Investors wanting a mobile-first workflow may need to rely on responsive web views.

What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?

Damodaran — Cost of Capital by Sector (US) differentiates itself with US industry table with: Industry, # of firms, Beta, Cost of Equity, E/(D+E), Std. Dev. in stock, Cost of Debt, Tax Rate, After‑tax Cost of Debt, D/(D+E), and WACC., Direct Excel download (wacc.xls) for offline analysis., and Annual ‘Data used as of January’ snapshot; site also links to global datasets hub., whereas World Bank Open Data (data.worldbank.org) stands out for Programmatic access to nearly 16,000 time-series indicators across 45+ databases, with many series spanning over 50 years., Indicators API requires no key and supports both JSON and XML responses with flexible query styles., and Query capacity includes up to 60 indicators per call, subject to URL length limits..

Keep exploring

Curation & Accuracy

This directory blends AI‑assisted discovery with human curation. Entries are reviewed, edited, and organized with the goal of expanding coverage and sharpening quality over time. Your feedback helps steer improvements (because no single human can capture everything all at once).

Details change. Pricing, features, and availability may be incomplete or out of date. Treat listings as a starting point and verify on the provider’s site before making decisions. If you spot an error or a gap, send a quick note and I’ll adjust.