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 company has:
- 140 million shares outstanding.
- The market price of one share is currently $2.
- The company's debentures are publicly traded and their market price is equal to 93% of the face value.
- The debentures have a total face value of $50,000,000 and the current yield to maturity of corporate debentures is 12% per annum.
- The risk-free rate is 8.50% and the market return is 13.7%.
- Market analysts estimated that the company's stock has a beta of 0.90.
- The corporate tax rate is 30%.
What is the company's after-tax weighted average cost of capital (WACC) in a classical tax system?
Find the sample standard deviation of returns using the data in the table:
| Stock Returns | |
| Year | Return pa |
| 2008 | 0.3 |
| 2009 | 0.02 |
| 2010 | -0.2 |
| 2011 | 0.4 |
The returns above and standard deviations below are given in decimal form.
Question 536 idiom, bond pricing, capital structure, leverage
The expression 'my word is my bond' is often used in everyday language to make a serious promise.
Why do you think this expression uses the metaphor of a bond rather than a share?
Alice, Bob, Chris and Delta are traders in the futures market. The following trades occur over a single day in a newly-opened equity index future that matures in one year which the exchange just made available.
1. Alice buys a future from Bob.
2. Chris buys a future from Delta.
3. Delta buys a future from Alice.
These were the only trades made in this equity index future. What was the trading volume and what is the open interest?
A trader buys a one year futures contract on crude oil. The contract is for the delivery of 1,000 barrels. The current futures price is $38.94 per barrel. The initial margin is $3,410 per contract, and the maintenance margin is $3,100 per contract.
What is the smallest price change that would lead to a margin call for the buyer?
Question 859 money supply, no explanation
The below table shows Australian monetary aggregates. Note that ‘M3’ is the sum of all the figures in the table and ‘ADI’ stands for Authorised Deposit-taking Institution such as a bank, building society or credit union.
| Australian Monetary Aggregates | ||||||
| March 2017, AUD billions | ||||||
| Currency | Current deposits with banks |
Certificates of deposit issued by banks |
Term deposits with banks |
Other deposits with banks |
Deposits with non-bank ADIs |
M3 |
| 69.3 | 271.6 | 207.2 | 562.3 | 838.7 | 36.9 | 1986.0 |
Source: RBA Statistical Table D3 Monetary Aggregates.
Which of the following statements is NOT correct?
A non-dividend paying stock has a current price of $20.
The risk free rate is 5% pa given as a continuously compounded rate.
Options on the stock are currently priced at $5 for calls and $5.55 for puts where both options have a 2 year maturity and an exercise price of $24.
You suspect that the call option contract is mis-priced and would like to conduct a risk-free arbitrage that requires zero capital. Which of the following steps about arbitraging the situation is NOT correct?
Question 959 negative gearing, leverage, capital structure, interest tax shield, real estate
Last year, two friends Gear and Nogear invested in residential apartments. Each invested $1 million of their own money (their net wealth).
Apartments cost $1,000,000 last year and they earned net rents of $30,000 pa over the last year. Net rents are calculated as rent revenues less the costs of renting such as property maintenance, land tax and council rates. However, interest expense and personal income taxes are not deducted from net rents.
Gear and Nogear funded their purchases in different ways:
- Gear used $1,000,000 of her own money and borrowed $4,000,000 from the bank in the form of an interest-only loan with an interest rate of 5% pa to buy 5 apartments.
- Nogear used $1,000,000 of his own money to buy one apartment. He has no mortgage loan on his property.
Both Gear and Nogear also work in high-paying jobs and are subject personal marginal tax rates of 45%.
Which of the below statements about the past year is NOT correct?