Fight Finance

Question 64  inflation, real and nominal returns and cash flows, APR, effective rate

In Germany, nominal yields on semi-annual coupon paying Government Bonds with 2 years until maturity are currently 0.04% pa.

The inflation rate is currently 1.4% pa, given as an APR compounding per quarter. The inflation rate is not expected to change over the next 2 years.

What is the real yield on these bonds, given as an APR compounding every 6 months?

(a) -1.3529627%

(b) -0.4977348%

(c) 0.4977348%

(d) 1.3529627%

(e) 1.3621776%

Question 103  option

Below are 4 option graphs. Note that the y-axis is payoff at maturity (T). What options do they depict? List them in the order that they are numbered.

(a) 1: short call, 2: long call, 3: short put, 4: long put.

(b) 1: long call, 2: long put, 3: short call, 4: short put.

(c) 1: short put, 2: long put, 3: short call, 4: long call.

(d) 1: long put, 2: short put, 3: long call, 4: short call.

(e) 1: long put, 2: short call, 3: short put, 4: long call.

Question 280  equivalent annual cash flow

You own a nice suit which you wear once per week on nights out. You bought it one year ago for $600. In your experience, suits used once per week last for 6 years. So you expect yours to last for another 5 years.

Your younger brother said that retro is back in style so he wants to wants to borrow your suit once a week when he goes out. With the increased use, your suit will only last for another 4 years rather than 5.

What is the present value of the cost of letting your brother use your current suit for the next 4 years?

Assume: that bank interest rates are 10% pa, given as an effective annual rate; you will buy a new suit when your current one wears out and your brother will not use the new one; your brother will only use your current suit so he will only use it for the next four years; and the price of a new suit never changes.

(a) 108.1063

(b) 98.2785

(c) 94.095

(d) 85.5409

(e) 68.3013

Question 282  expected and historical returns, income and capital returns

You're the boss of an investment bank's equities research team. Your five analysts are each trying to find the expected total return over the next year of shares in a mining company. The mining firm:

• Is regarded as a mature company since it's quite stable in size and was floated around 30 years ago. It is not a high-growth company;
• Share price is very sensitive to changes in the price of the market portfolio, economic growth, the exchange rate and commodities prices. Due to this, its standard deviation of total returns is much higher than that of the market index;
• Experienced tough times in the last 10 years due to unexpected falls in commodity prices.
• Shares are traded in an active liquid market.

Your team of analysts present their findings, and everyone has different views. While there's no definitive true answer, whose calculation of the expected total return is the most plausible? Assume that:

• The analysts' source data is correct and true, but their inferences might be wrong;
• All returns and yields are given as effective annual nominal rates.

(a) Alice says 5% pa since she calculated that this was the average total yield on government bonds over the last 10 years. She says that this is also the expected total yield implied by current prices on one year government bonds.

(b) Bob says 4% pa since he calculated that this was the average total return on the mining stock over the last 10 years.

(c) Cate says 3% pa since she calculated that this was the average growth rate of the share price over the last 10 years.

(d) Dave says 6% pa since he calculated that this was the average growth rate of the share market price index (not the accumulation index) over the last 10 years.

(e) Eve says 15% pa since she calculated that this was the discount rate implied by the dividend discount model using the current share price, forecast dividend in one year and a 3% growth rate in dividends thereafter, which is the expected long term inflation rate.

Question 403  PE ratio, no explanation

Which of the following investable assets is the LEAST suitable for valuation using PE multiples techniques?

(a) Common equity in a small private company.

(b) Common equity in a listed public company.

(c) Commercial real estate.

(d) Ten year commercial real estate lease.

(e) Residential real estate.

Question 409  NPV, capital structure, capital budgeting

A pharmaceutical firm has just discovered a valuable new drug. So far the news has been kept a secret.

The net present value of making and commercialising the drug is $200 million, but $600 million of bonds will need to be issued to fund the project and buy the necessary plant and equipment.

The firm will release the news of the discovery and bond raising to shareholders simultaneously in the same announcement. The bonds will be issued shortly after.

Once the announcement is made and the bonds are issued, what is the expected increase in the value of the firm's assets (ΔV), market capitalisation of debt (ΔD) and market cap of equity (ΔE)?

The triangle symbol is the Greek letter capital delta which means change or increase in mathematics.

Ignore the benefit of interest tax shields from having more debt.

Remember: ##ΔV = ΔD+ΔE##

(a) ##ΔV=800m, ΔD = 600m, ΔE=200m##

(b) ##ΔV=200m, ΔD = 600m, ΔE= 0##

(c) ##ΔV=200m, ΔD =0m, \quad ΔE=200m##

(d) ##ΔV=400m, ΔD = 600m, ΔE=-200m##

(e) ##ΔV=800m, ΔD = 800m, ΔE= 0##

Question 480  NPV, real estate, DDM

What type of present value equation is best suited to value a residential house investment property that is expected to pay constant rental payments forever? Note that 'constant' has the same meaning as 'level' in this context.

(a) The single cash flow equation.

(b) The level annuity equation.

(c) The annuity with growth equation.

(d) The level perpetuity equation.

(e) The perpetuity with growth equation.

Question 554  inflation, real and nominal returns and cash flows

On his 20th birthday, a man makes a resolution. He will put $30 cash under his bed at the end of every month starting from today. His birthday today is the first day of the month. So the first addition to his cash stash will be in one month. He will write in his will that when he dies the cash under the bed should be given to charity.

If the man lives for another 60 years, how much money will be under his bed if he dies just after making his last (720th) addition?

Also, what will be the real value of that cash in today's prices if inflation is expected to 2.5% pa? Assume that the inflation rate is an effective annual rate and is not expected to change.

The answers are given in the same order, the amount of money under his bed in 60 years, and the real value of that money in today's prices.

(a) $21,600,     $95,035.46

(b) $21,600,     $49,515.44

(c) $21,600,     $4,909.33

(d) $21,600,     $2,557.86

(e) $11,254.05,     $2,557.86

Question 860  idiom, hedging, speculation, arbitrage, market making, insider trading, no explanation

Which class of derivatives market trader is NOT principally focused on ‘buying low and selling high’?

(a) Hedgers.

(b) Speculators.

(c) Arbitrageurs.

(d) Market makers.

(e) Insider traders.

Question 894  balance of payments, current account, no explanation

Below are four graphs of Australia's external position, published in the RBA's chart pack.

Assume that all assets and liabilities are debt which makes interest income and equity which makes dividend income.

Which of the following statements is NOT correct? As at the end of 2017, Australia’s:

(a) Trade surplus was roughly zero, so Australians exported as much as they imported.

(b) Net Income was negative, so Australians paid more dividends and interest to foreigners than they received. This is probably because Australia has greater gross foreign liabilities than gross foreign assets.

(c) Current account deficit means Australians have to lend to foreigners by buying foreigners’ debt and equity which represent net capital outflows out of Australia.

(d) Net foreign equity liabilities were negative (less than zero) so Australians had positive net foreign equity assets which means that Australians owned more foreign shares than foreigners owned of Australian shares.

(e) Persistent current account deficit will make its net foreign liabilities greater and greater.