FRM-4-esat

Module 4 Derivatives (FRM)

Financial Risk Management Module 4 Derivatives

Question 1 Which of the following statements statements best describes when a market is said to be in contango ? a.

The forwar forward d price price is lower lower than than the the curren currentt spot spot price. price.

b.

The curre current nt spot spot price price exceeds exceeds the the forwar forward d price. price.

c.

The forwar forward d price price exceeds exceeds the curre current nt spot spot price. price.

d.

The curre current nt spot spot price price equals equals the forward forward price. price.

Question 2 You are the corporate treasurer of an Australian -based gold producer. You believe that the price of gold is going to rise and you would like to benefit from any increase in price, but would also like to hedge against a lower gold price should the market fall. Which of the following hedge instruments would achieve this result? a.

Sell Sell gold gold forw forwar ard. d.

b.

Sell Sell gold gold futu future res. s.

c.

Sell Sell a gol gold d cal calll opt optio ion. n.

d.

Buy Buy a gol gold d put put opti option on..

Question 3 You are the corporate treasurer at OzCo Ltd (OzCo) and you have just purchased an AUD put/USD call currency option from BigBank. Which one of the following statements is most correct? a.

The option option gives gives OzCo OzCo the right, right, but not not the obliga obligation tion,, to buy AUD and and sell USD. USD.

b.

The option option gives gives BigBank BigBank the right, right, but not not the obligati obligation, on, to buy AUD and and sell USD. USD.

c.

The option option requires requires BigBank BigBank to buy buy USD and and sell AUD if OzCo OzCo exercises exercises the the option. option.

d.

The option option gives gives OzCo OzCo the right, right, but not not the obliga obligation tion,, to buy USD and and sell sell AUD.

Question 4 OzGold is considering purchasing a gold put option to hedge its exposure to falls in gold price. Which of the following factors is/are likely likely to cause the price of the gold put option to increase? I.

An increase in the gold price.

II.

An increase in the strike price of the option.

III.

An increase in the volatility of the gold price.

IV.

An increase in the time to expiry of the option.

a.

I only.

b.

II and III III onl only. y.

c.

I, II and and IV only only..

d.

II, III and IV only.

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Question 5 An Australian aluminium producer has purchased an aluminium put/AU D call with a strike price of AU D 2800/tonne. Ifthe spot price on the expiry date and time of the option was at AUD 2750/tonne, how should the aluminium producer respond? a.

Exercise the option and buy aluminium at AUD 2800/tonne.

b.

Allow the option to lapse without exercising it.

c.

Exercise the option and sell aluminium at AUD 2800/tonne.

d.

Exercise the option and sell aluminium at AUD 2750/tonne.

Question 6 Which of the following statements are correct with respect to options? I.

For an option buyer, the maximum loss is the premium.

II.

Downside risk is transferred from the buyer of the option to the seller.

III.

The use of options is appropriate when hedging uncertain cash flows.

a.

I and II only.

b.

I and III only.

c.

II and III only.

d.

I, II and III.

Question 7 With respect to options, who has the credit risk? a.

The option seller.

b.

The option buyer.

c.

Both the seller and the buyer.

d.

Neither the seller nor the buyer as contracts are optional.

Question 8 Which one of the following is not a factor in determining the price of an AUD/USD forward exchange contract? a.

The expected movement in spot exchange rate.

b.

The current spot rate.

c.

The Australian domestic interest rate.

d.

The US interest rate.

Question 9 Assume that you have bought an oil call option at a strike price of USD 90.00 per barrel. You have paid a premium of USD 2.50 per barrel. What is the net price per barrel that you would pay if the spot price of oil at option expiration is USD 100.00 per barrel?

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a.

USD 90.00.

b.

USD 92.50.

c.

USD 100.00.

d.

USD 102.50.

Question 10 OzCo Ltd (OzCo) has entered into an interest rate swap (IRS) with a bank to receive floating -rate payments and pay a fixed rate of 6.50 per cent, based on a principal of AUD 10 000 000. If there were 91 days in the current interest period, the fixed-rate amount would be AUD 162 054.79 and the floating-rate amount AUD 124 657.53. What is the cash flow between OzCo and the bank? a.

OzCo pays the bank AUD 162 054.79.

b.

The bank pays OzCo AUD 124 657.53.

c.

The bank pays OzCo AUD 37 397.26.

d.

OzCo pays the bank AUD 37 397.26.

Question 11 An Australian company is exporting goods to Germany and receiving payment in euro (EUR). You are given the following information. s

The AUD/EUR spot rate is 0.8000.

s

AUD interest rate is 4.5 per cent per annum.

s

EUR interest rate is 1.5 per cent per annum.

Which of the following statements are correct? I.

The Australian company needs to buy AUD at a future date.

II.

The Australian company needs to buy EUR at a future date.

III.

The forward rate would be higher than the current spot rate.

IV.

The forward rate would be lower than the current spot rate.

a.

I and III only.

b.

I and IV only.

c.

II and III only.

d.

II and IV only.

Question 12 A copper producer buys a copper put option at a strike price of USD6000 per tonne at a premium of USD100 pertonne. On maturity, the spot copper price is USD5800 per tonne. What is the effective price received by the copper producer? a.

USD5700 per tonne.

b.


c.


d.


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Question 13 ImportCo Ltd is considering whether to accept a 10 per cent discount on buying imported machinery from China at USD2000 each (after discount price USD1800) or continue to buy them in Australia at AUD2300 each. Payment is to be made on arrival of the machines in one year ’s time. Relevant information: Exchange rate (spot) AUD/USD

0.8000

Forward (outright) exchange rate AUD/USD

0.7700

What should ImportCo do? a.

Continue to purchase at AUD2300.

b.

Accept the discount, buy at USD1800 and purchase the USD now at AUD/USD0.8000.

c.

Accept the discount, buy at USD1800 and purchase the USD in one year at AUD/USD 0.7700.

d.

Buy the machines at the undiscounted price of USD2000 and purchase the USD in one year at

AUD/USD0.8000.

Question 14 What is the correct strategy for an aluminium producer who wants to fix the price of its aluminium sales? a.

Buy aluminium forward.

b.

Buy aluminium put options.

c.

Sell aluminium forward.

d.

Sell aluminium call options.

Question 15 Which of the following is correct in relation to futures? I. II.

They have standardised characteristics such as contract size and maturity date. They are transacted on an exchange and settled through a clearing house.

III.

They are subject to margin calls.

IV.

They generally carry less counterparty risk compared to a forward contract.

a.

I and III only.

b.

I, II and III only.

c.

II, III and IV only. I, II, III and IV.

d.

Question 16 An Australian aluminium smelter sells 1000 tonnes of aluminium to a customer at USD2000 per tonne. Thecompany has previously hedged the aluminium price risk via a cash settled forward sale of 1000 tonnes of aluminium at USD1800 per tonne, and the AUD/USD exchange rate risk by selling USD1 800 000 forward under an FEC at a rate of AUD/USD1.0500.

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Assuming the physical sale and both the derivatives settle on the same day, what additional purchase or sale of USD will the company need to make on that day? a.

Sell USD200 000.

b.

Buy USD200 000.

c.

No further purchases or sales of USD is necessary.

d.

Sell USD1 800 000.

Question 17 A company is submitting a tender to purchase an oil rig. It is concerned that interest rates may rise but does not want to fix rates in case it does not win the tender and interest rates fall (in which case it will lose money on the hedge). What type of interest rate derivative transaction would be a.

Interest rate futures.

b.

FRAs.

c.

Interest rate swaps.

d.

Interest rate options.

most suitable

for hedging this exposure?

Question 18 ExportCo has been offered the following alternatives for a container load of its custom -designed surfboards, which are to be delivered to, and paid for by, the customer in one year from today. s

AUD1 000 000 paid one year from today.

s

USD950 000 paid one year from today.

s

The AUD equivalent of USD950 000 converted at the current AUD/USD forward rate, and paid in AU D one year from today.

s

The AUD equivalent of USD960 000 converted at the current AUD/USD spot rate and paid in AUD one year from today.

Additional information s

The AUD/USD forward rate is 0.9450.

s

The AUD/USD spot rate is0.9500.

Which course of action should ExportCo choose if it wants to take no risk and maximise known returns? a.

Accept AUD1 000 000 payable in one year.

b.

Accept USD950 000 payable in one year, and enter into a forward exchange contract to hedge the exchange rate risk.

c.

Accept the AUD equivalent of USD950 000 converted at the current AUD/USD forward rate, and paid in AUD one year from today.

d.

Accept the AUD equivalent of USD960 000 converted at the current AUD/USD spot rate and paid in AUD one year from today.

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Question 19 Megabank has just emailed its clients to say that, while interest rates in the US and Australia are steady at present, there is almost universal agreement that they will soon become volatile and the exchange rate will also become unstable. As a result, Megabank has raised all its forward exchange rate quotes by + 200 basis points to compensate. What is most likely to happen? a.

Megabank will lose a lot of money.

b.

Megabank will gain a lot of money.

c.

Nothing.

d.

Megabank’s share price is likely to increase as it now is a market leader.

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Solutions Question 1 Correct Answer: c Contango is the situation where the forward price exceeds the current spot price.

Options A and B are incorrect. When the forward price is lower than the spot price the market is said to be

in backwardation . Option D is incorrect. When the spot and forward prices are equal the market is neither in contango nor backwardation .

You can review this topic area in the study materials under the section entitled ‘Contango and backwardation in commodity forward markets’.

Question 2 Correct Answer: d If the gold price increases, the producer can let the option expire and sell gold at the favourable current price. Ifthe gold price falls, the producer can exercise the option and sell gold at the option strike price. Option A is incorrect. A gold forward would lock in the price of gold and not provide any benefit from an increased gold price. Option B is incorrect. Gold futures would also lock in the sale price of gold and not provide any benefit to the producer from an increased gold price. Option C is incorrect. Selling a gold call would put a ceiling on the gold price. The producer wishes to put a floor under the gold selling price. You can review this topic area in the study materials under the section entitled ‘Hedging using options’.

Question 3 Correct Answer: d As buyer of the option, OzCo has the right but not the obligation to sell (put) AUD and buy (call) USD. Option A is incorrect. An AUD put/USD call option gives the buyer the right to sell AUD and buy USD. Option B is incorrect. The seller of an option has the obligation but not the right to buy and sell the currency/commodity. Option C is incorrect. BigBank sold an AUD put/USD call, so it has granted the right to sell AUD and buy USD to OzCo. Accordingly, BigBank has the obligation to buy AUD and sell USD. You can review this topic area in the study materials under the section entitled ‘Options’.

Question 4 Correct Answer: d Semester 2, 2013

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I.

This item is incorrect. An increase in the gold price would cause the gold put option to become cheaper.

II.

This item is correct. An increase in the strike price would make the option more expensive.

III.

This item is correct. An increase in volatility would make the op tion price more expensive.

IV.

This item is correct. An increase in the time to expiry of the option would make it more expensive.

You can review this topic area in the study materials under the section entitled ‘Options’ (Key determinants in option value table).

Question 5 Correct Answer: c The producer would exercise the option and sell aluminium at AUD 2800/tonne, AUD 50/tonne over the current

market price. Option A is incorrect. The option gives the producer the right to sell aluminium, not buy it. Option B is incorrect. The producer would give up revenues of AUD 50/tonne by forgoing the opportunity to sell at AUD50/tonne over the current market price. Option D is incorrect. The option would be exercised at the strike price of AUD 2800/tonne, not the current market price of AUD 2750/tonne. You can review this topic area in the study materials under the section entitled ‘Options’.

Question 6 Correct Answer: d All the statements are correct. You can review this topic area in the study materials under the section entitled ‘Options’ (Comparison between options and forwards table).

Question 7 Correct Answer: b If the buyer exercises the option, the seller must perform its obligation to honour the contract to buy or sell at the agreed price. The buyer is therefore at risk if the seller fails to honour that obligation. Options A and C are incorrect as generally the seller is paid the premium up front and the buyer thereby fulfils all its obligations. Option D is incorrect as an option contract does involve an obligation on the part of the seller. You can review this topic area in the study materials under the section entitled ‘Options’ (Other option terminology).

Question 8 Correct Answer: a

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‘The forward price of an asset or commodity is sometimes incorrectly regarded as a forecast of the spot price at the time of settlement. This is a misunderstanding in the case of most financial derivatives, as the forward rate is derived from other market rates, not forecasts. ’ Options B, C and D are all inputs to the forward foreign exchange rate formula as described in the study guide. You can review this topic area in the study materials under the section entitled ‘Foreign exchange forward contracts ’.

Question 9 Correct Answer: b As the spot oil price at option expiry is USD 100.00 per barrel, you would exercise your right to buy at USD 90.00 per barrel. Your net price would therefore be USD 90.00 per barrel purchase price plus USD2.50 per barrel

premium. With a bought call option the effective cost (if exercised) is: Strike price + Call option premium. The call option provides the buyer with the right to buy the underlying instrument. By adding the premium, they effectively pay more than otherwise. You can review this topic area in the study materials under the section entitled ‘Options’ (Hedging using options).

Question 10 Correct Answer: d OzCo would pay the fixed-rate payment of AUD 162 054.79 and receive the floating-rate payment of AUD124657.53, resulting in a net payment from OzCo to the bank of AUD 37 397.26. Option A is incorrect. OzCo would pay the bank the fixed-rate payment of AUD162 054.79 but would simultaneously receive the floating -rate payment of AUD124 657.53, meaning OzCo would pay the net amount of AUD37 397.26 to the bank. Option B is incorrect. The bank would pay OzCo the floating -rate payment of AUD124 657.53 but the bank would simultaneously pay the fixed-rate payment of AUD162 054.79, meaning OzCo would pay the net amount of AUD37397.26 to the bank. Option C is incorrect. The net amount of AUD37 397.26 is correct but OzCo would pay the fixed-rate payment of AUD162054.79 and receive the floating-rate payment of AUD124 657.53, resulting in a payment from OzCo to the bank of AUD37397.26. You can review this topic area in the study materials under the section entitled ‘Interest rate swaps’.

Question 11 Correct Answer: b Item I is correct. The Australian exporter would receive EUR and need to sell EUR and buy AUD. Item IV is correct. The forward is given by the formula

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Forward rate =

In this case, the terms currency ’s (EUR) interest rate in the numerator is less than the base currency ’s (AUD) interest rate in the denominator, so the forward rate will be less than the spot rate. You can review this topic area in the study materials under the section entitled ‘Foreign exchange forward contracts ’.

Question 12 Correct Answer: b The producer would exercise the option and sell (put) the copper at USD6000 per tonne. Net of premium paid (USD100 per tonne), this results in a net price of USD5900 per tonne. With a bought put option the effective cost (if exercised) is: Strike price – Put option premium. The put option provides the buyer with the right to sell the underlying instrument. By subtracting the premium, they effectively receive less than otherwise. You can review this topic area in the study materials under the section entitled ‘Options’ (Hedging using options).

Question 13 Correct Answer: a ImportCo wants to pay the lowest amount of AUD (payable in one year). ImportCo would minimise its cost by buying the machines in 12 months’ time at AUD 2300. If we accept the discount and convert USD into AUD at the spot rate of 0.8000, it will only cost AUD 2250, which is less than AUD 2300. However, the question assumes that funds are exchanged at the spot rate now, with payment in a year. We would ideally try to match the currency conversion with the payment date. If we convert AUD 2250 to USD 1800 now, we will need to invest USD 1800 for 12 months. Transaction costs and FX exposure would arise when we attempt to convert any interest earned back into AUD. Option B is therefore incorrect. Option C is incorrect as USD 1800 @ 0.7700 results in a higher price of AUD 2338. Option D is incorrect as it uses the spot rate rather than the forward rate to convert and would still be more expensive. The following example further explains why Option B is incorrect. The spot rate is 0.8000 and the forward rate (calculated by the relative differences in interest rates) is 0.7700. Let’s assume that the US interest rate is 6.1 per cent and the Australian interest rate is 10.25 per cent. Note that this is just an assumption to make the implied forward rate ‘ work ’. That is, (0.8000 × 1.061)/1.1025 = 0.7700. So, to obtain USD 1800 in one year, we would need to invest (1800/1.061) = USD 1 696.51. That is, investing USD1696.51 at an interest rate of 6.1 per cent would give us USD 1800 in one year. To obtain USD 1696.51 today, we would need to convert (1696.51/0.8000) = AUD 2120.64. That is, converting AUD 2120.64 today at an exchange rate of 0.8000 would give us USD 1696.51. Semester 2, 2013

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This looks favourable, because it only costs us AUD 2120.64 to buy the machines. However, to compare like with like, what if we had invested the AUD 2120.64 at the Australian interest rate of 10.25 per cent for a year? Inthis case, we would receive (2120.64 × 1.1025) = AUD 2338.00. This is the same result as Option C, whichconverts the AUD at the forward exchange rate of 0.7700. The end result being that Option A is still preferred. You can review this topic area in the study materials under the sections entitled ‘Key concepts and definitions’ and ‘Foreign exchange forward contracts ’.

Question 14 Correct Answer: c The producer wishes to sell aluminium and therefore would need to sell a forward, which locks in the price. Option A is incorrect. Buying aluminium would increase the producer ’s exposure to the aluminium price. Option B is incorrect. Buying puts, while potentially a valid hedge strategy, would not fix the aluminium price as the producer would benefit from prices over and above the put option strike price. Option D is incorrect. Selling calls would not fix the aluminium price. The producer would be exposed to falls in the aluminium price. You can review this topic area in the study materials under the ‘Hedging an aluminium exposure’ example and the ‘Option matrix’ table.

Question 15 Correct Answer: d All these statements are true of futures. You can review this topic area in the study materials under the section entitled ‘Futures’.

Question 16 Correct Answer: c The smelter will receive USD 2 000 000 of sales revenue from the physical sale to the customer: 1000 tonnes × USD 2000 per tonne. The smelter will pay USD 200 000 to the counterparty under the aluminium forward hedge: 1000 tonnes × (USD1800/tonne forward price – USD 2000/tonne spot price). The resulting USD 1 800 000 inflow has already been sold under the FEC (i.e. USD 1 800 000 convered to AUD at1.0500), leaving a net zero cash flow on the day. As such, the Australian company does not need to enter into any further agreements in order to settle the physical sale to the customer, the aluminium forward, or the foreign exchange forward. Note that the question asks what ‘additional’ purchase or sale of USD will be needed. The company does not need to buy AUD and sell USD 200 000 (i.e. Option A). It will receive an additional USD 200 000 from the sale to the customer and simply hand this over to the counterparty of the forward. Semester 2, 2013

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You can review this topic area in the study materials under the ‘Hedging an aluminium exposure’ example.

Question 17 Correct Answer: d The most correct answer is interest rate options. Interest rate futures, FRAs and interest rate swaps would all lock the company into a fixed-interest rate. If it did not win the tender, it would be exposed to hedge losses if interest rates fell. By using options, the maximum downside is limited to the option premium. As a borrower, thecompany would buy a call option on interest rates (i.e. a cap). If interest rates rise, the company exercises the call option. If interest rates fall, the company can let the interest rate options expire worthless and simply borrow at the lower rates. You can review this topic area in the study materials under the section entitled ‘Options’.

Question 18 Correct Answer: d ExportCo wants to receive the highest amount of AUD (receivable in one year), which is AUD 1 010 526

(i.e.USD 960 00 0/the spot rate of 0.95000). Option A equals AUD 1 000 000. Option B equals AUD 1 005 291 (USD 950 000/the forward rate of 0.9450) Option C equals AUD 1 005 291 (USD 950 000/the forward rate of 0.9450) Note that Option D is converted at the current spot rate, but is paid in one year ’s time. As such, the net AUD receipt is higher than all the other options and there are no further foreign exchange exposures or transaction costs. Note that the wording of this question is slightly different to the question in relation to ImportCo Ltd. In this question, ExportCo is accepting the current spot rate in one year ’s time. This suggests that the counterparty has offered the current spot rate for conversion in one year’s time. In the question in relation to ImportCo Ltd, ifImportCo Ltd buys at the current spot rate, it would need to hold on to USD for the 12 -month period. You can review this topic area in the study materials under the section entitled ‘Forwards’.

Question 19 Correct Answer: a Forward rates are not based on forecasts, so Megabank ’s reasoning for the rate rise is illogical. Since its forward rates are now out of line w ith market rates, other banks will arbitrage them and take profits from the difference between Megabank ’ s rates and those set by the current interest rates and spot rate. As a result, Megabank will systematically lose money until it reverts to the correct forward prices. Option B is incorrect. Where Megabank is overcharging, no one should transact; where it is undercharging (importers or exporters), the bank will be ‘buying high, selling low’—or systematically losing money. Option C is incorrect; other banks at least will see the arbitrage opportunity and exploit it.

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Option D is incorrect; increased losses do not lead to increasing the value of a company. You can review this topic area in the study materials under the section entitled ‘Forwards’ ( Example of pricearbitrage).

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