The Calc financial functions that I use require certain parameters to be entered as negative numbers. This tends to be very confusing because financial values such as payments, interest, periods, etc. are normally considered to be positive values and such confusion can lead to significant error. An example is now given. The exact data for a loan is as follows: Annual Rate -- 0.0329 Period Rate -- 0.0329/12 = 0.0027417 No. of Periods -- 72 Present Value -- 58238.17 Payment -- 892.43 In order to obtain these values using Calc functions, certain parameters have to be entered as the negative: =NPER(0.0027417,-892.43,58238.17) -- payment must be negative =PMT(0.0027417,72,-58238.17) -- present value must be negative =PV(0.0027417,72,-892.43) -- payment must be negative =RATE(72,-892.43,58238.17) -- payment must be negative Unless the indicated parameters are entered as the negative value significant error will occur. The underlying formulas to these Calc functions can be easily adjusted to use positive values only. Doing so would lead to less confusion and less potential error. I have not examined the many other financial functions but they may also have the same problem.
I don't think so
All these functions follow the Cash Flow Sign Convention, where "cash inflows are entered as positive numbers and cash outflows are entered as negative numbers" see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cash_flow_sign_convention See also https://docs.oasis-open.org/office/OpenDocument/v1.3/cs02/part4-formula/OpenDocument-v1.3-cs02-part4-formula.html#NPER https://www.excelfunctions.net/excel-nper-function.html https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/nper-function-240535b5-6653-4d2d-bfcf-b6a38151d815