Answer Outline
Second Midterm Exam: Section 2
Econ 353: Money and Banking

Course Offering: Spring 1999
Last Updated: 6 April 1999

Course Instructor:
Professor Leigh Tesfatsion
tesfatsi@iastate.edu

ANSWER KEY
SECOND MIDTERM EXAM:  70 POINTS TOTAL         L. Tesfatsion
                                              Econ 353/SECTION 2
                                              April 6, 1999

1-2 If a borrower receives a simple loan on January 1, 1999 in amount
    $1000 and agrees to pay the lender $1,200 on January 1, 2001, then the
    simple interest rate on this loan is _________.
   A. $200
   B. 5 percent
X  C. 20 percent
   D. 10 percent


2-2. Which of the following are true in general for fixed payment loans?
   A. The borrower repays the entire principal plus interest at the
      maturity date.
   B. Installment loans and mortgages are frequently of the fixed payment
      type.
   C. The borrower repays the loan by making the same payment every month
   D. Only A and B of the above
x  E. Only B and C of the above


3-2 Under the terms of a discount bond, the borrower agrees to pay to the
    lender
   A. a periodic fixed coupon payment until a specified maturity date, where
      the fixed coupon payment includes both principal and interest.
   B. the face value of the bond plus principal, both at the maturity date.
   C. a periodic fixed coupon payment until a specified maturity date, plus
      the face value of the bond at the maturity date.
X  D. only one payment, the face value of the bond at the maturity date,
      where the face value is more than the purchase price of the bond.


4-2 The coupon rate on a coupon bond with a purchase price of $80, a $100
    face value, annual coupon payments of $10, and a 2-year maturity is
   A. the coupon payment $10 divided by the purchase price $80.
   B. one coupon payment per year.
X  C. the coupon payment $10 divided by the face value $100.
   D. total coupon payments $20 divided by the maturity 2.


5-2 If the annual interest rate is 5 percent, the present value of a payment
    of $200 to be received three years from now is

   A. $200 multiplied by (1 + .05)@3

   B. $200 divided by (1 + .15)

X  C. $200 divided by (1 + .05)@3

   D. $200 divided by 3


6-2 Letting "*" denote multiplication, if the annual interest rate is 8
    percent, then the present value of a payment stream ($40, $10) with
    $40 to be received at the end of the first year and $10 to be received
    at the end of the second year is given by

   A. $40*(1 + .08)  +  $10*(1 + .08)@2

X  B. $40/(1 + .08)  +  $10/(1 + .08)@2

   C. $40/(1 + .08)  +  $10*(1 + .08)

   D. [$40 + $10] divided by 2


7-2 The yield to maturity i on a coupon bond with a purchase price $290,
    a face value $300, a coupon payment stream ($50,$50), and a 2-year
    maturity is calculated as follows:
   A. The present value of the coupon payment stream ($50, $50)
   B. Total interest payments $100 divided by the maturity 2.
   C. The coupon payment $50 divided by the purchase price $290.
X  D. The annual interest rate i that, when used to calculate the present
      value PV(i) of ($50,$350), gives a value for PV(i) equal to $290.


8-2 For a coupon bond, its current yield is a less accurate measure of its
    yield to maturity the _______ the maturity of the bond and the __________
    the deviation of its purchase price from its face value.
   A. shorter; smaller
X  B. shorter; greater
   C. longer;  smaller
   D. longer;  greater


9-2 Which of the following are true in general for coupon bonds?
   A. When a coupon bond is priced at its face value, its yield to
      maturity equals its coupon rate.
   B. The purchase price and yield to maturity for a coupon bond are
      negatively related, all else remaining constant.
   C. For a coupon bond, its yield to maturity is greater than its coupon rate
      when its purchase price is below its face value.
X  D. All of the above are true.
   E. Only A and B of the above are true.


10-2 Which of the following $1000 face-value securities has the HIGHEST
    yield to maturity?
   A. A  5 percent coupon bond selling for $1,000
   B. A 10 percent coupon bond selling for $1,000
X  C. A 12 percent coupon bond selling for $1,000
   D. A 12 percent coupon bond selling for $1,100


11-2 In which of the following situations would you prefer to be LENDING?
   A. The nominal interest rate is 9 percent and the expected inflation rate
      is 7 percent.
X  B. The nominal interest rate is 4 percent and the expected inflation rate
      is 1 percent.
   C. The nominal interest rate is 13 percent and the expected inflation rate
      is 15 percent.
   D. The nominal interest rate is 25 percent and the expected inflation rate
      is 50 percent.

12-2 Which of the the following are true concerning the distinction between
interest rates and return rates.
   A. The return rate on a bond will not necessarily equal the interest
      rate on that bond.
   B. The return rate on a coupon bond can be expressed as the sum of the
      current yield and the rate of capital gain or loss.
   C. Measured from time T to time T+1, the return rate on a coupon bond will
      be greater than the current yield when the price of the bond falls
      between T and T+1.
   D. All of the above are true.
X  E. Only A and B of the above are true.

13-2 Holding everything else constant,
   A. if an asset's risk rises relative to that of alternative assets,
      the demand will fall.
   B. the more liquid an asset, relative to alternative assets, the
      greater will be the demand.
   C. the higher the expected return relative to alternative assets,
      the greater will be the demand.
X  D. all of the above.
   E. only A and B of the above.

14-2 Empirically, most savers find return ___________ and risk ___________.
    Consequently, if you offer a saver a choice of another asset portfolio
    than the one he currently owns, where both portfolios have the same total
    market value but the alternative portfolio has a lower expected return
    rate, the only way the saver would be willing to accept the alternative
    portfolio in place of his current portfolio is if the alternative
    portfolio has _________ risk.
   A. undesirable; desirable;   higher
X  B. desirable;   undesirable; lower
   C. undesirable; desirable;   lower
   D. desirable;   undesirable; higher

15-2 By suitably diversifying the assets in a portfolio, its __________ risk
     can be eliminated, leaving only ___________ risk.
   A. interest rate; default
   B. systematic; nonsystematic
   C. default; interest rate
X  D. nonsystematic; systematic


16-2 The beta of an asset measures the extent to which its _____________
     varies directly with the expected return rate on the market portfolio,
     hence it constitutes a measure of its _______________.
   A. market price; nonsystematic risk
X  B. expected return rate; systematic risk
   C. market price; liquidity
   D. nonsystematic risk; desirability


17-2 CAPM theory assumes that each saver's preferences over asset portfolios
     depend only on ___________ and __________.
   A. current yield; capital gain or loss
X  B. risk; expected return
   C. interest; liquidity
   D. purchase price; default risk


18-2 The basic capital asset pricing model (CAPM) postulates that the
     ________ of an asset can be explained by a single source of systematic
     risk as reflected by movements in ______________.
   A. interest rate risk; its yield to maturity
X  B. expected return rate; the expected return rate of the market portfolio
   C. total risk; the return rate of the risk-free asset
   D. purchase price; the inflation rate


19-2 Arbitrage pricing theory (APT) postulates that the expected return
     rate of an asset can be explained by __________ of systematic risk as
     reflected by movements in ______________.
   A. two sources; its current yield and its capital gain or loss
   B. a single source; the expected return rate of the market portfolio
X  C. multiple sources; factors such as the inflation rate and yield spread
   D. a single source; its price relative to the market portfolio price


20-2 When the interest rate on loans is _________ the equilibrium interest
     rate, there is an excess _________ for (of) loanable funds and the
     interest rate will tend to _______.
   A. above; demand; rise
   B. below; demand; fall
X  C. above; supply; fall
   D. above; supply; rise


21-2 When an increase occurs in the expected inflation rate from period T+1
     to period T+2, all else remaining constant, normally one would expect to
     see _____ in the demand for bonds in period T because of an ________.
   A. an increase; expected increase in the real interest rate from T+1 to T+2
X  B. a  decrease; expected decrease in the real interest rate from T+1 to T+2
   C. an increase; expected decrease in the real interest rate from T+1 to T+2
   D. a  decrease; expected increase in the real interest rate from T+1 to T+2


22-2 In gross domestic product accounting, HC imports consist of all
     purchases by ________ of goods and services newly produced ________.
   A. ROW; within the borders of ROW
   B. HC;  with ROW-owned assets of production
   C. ROW; within the borders of the HC
 X D. HC;  within the borders of ROW


23-2 In GDP accounting, ROW saving in relation to the HC is defined to be
     ___________  minus ______________.
   A. ROW GDP; ROW consumption
X  B. Total income received by ROW from the HC; HC exports
   C. HC imports; HC exports
   D. Total income received by ROW from the HC; HC imports


24-2 When the U.S. exchange rate for the Mexican peso changes from 12 pesos
     per dollar to 8 pesos per dollar, then
   A. the peso has appreciated and the dollar has appreciated
   B. the peso has depreciated and the dollar has appreciated
X  C. the peso has appreciated and the dollar has depreciated
   D. the peso has depreciated and the dollar has depreciated


25-2 If the U.S. dollar depreciates relative to the British pound,
   A. British wool blankets will become more expensive in the U.S.
   B. American computers will become less expensive in Great Britain
   C. British wool blankets will become less expensive in the U.S.
X  D. only A and B will occur


26-2 Given a world divided between HC and ROW, the purchasing power parity
     condition in level form asserts that
   A. the HC inflation rate will equal the ROW inflation rate over time
   B. the HC nominal exchange rate will stay constant over time
   C. the value of HC GDP and ROW GDP will stay equal over time
X  D. the HC real exchange rate will stay constant over time


27-2 Given a world divided between HC and ROW, the purchasing power parity
     condition reduces to a straightforward application of the "law of one
     price" under the following conditions:
   A. HC and ROW produce one good of the same physical type
   B. there are no trade barriers between the HC and ROW
   C. every resident of the HC and ROW has complete information about
      the price and availability of goods anywhere in the world
X  D. all of the above


28-2 Given a world divided between HC and ROW, the purchasing power parity
     condition in rates-of-change form predicts the following: If the 1996
     inflation rate in the HC is 3 percent, and the 1996 inflation rate in ROW
     is 6 percent, then the HC exchange rate E will ________ in 1996.
   A. rise by 9 percent
X  B. rise by 3 percent
   C. remain unchanged
   D. fall by 3 percent


29-2 Given a world divided between HC and ROW, the interest parity
     condition is _______ condition that attempts to help predict
     the short-run relation between _________ in the HC and ROW by
     determining a necessary condition for______________.
   A. a balance of payments; borrowing and lending; bond market equilibrium
   B. an accounting; savings rates; equality of HC and ROW interest rates
X  C. an arbitrage; interest rates; the absence of profit opportunities
   D. a market equilibrium; currency reserves; demand = supply for HC currency


30-2 Given a world divided between HC and ROW, according to the interest
    parity condition, a ROW saver attempting to decide between holding a bank
    deposit account in ROW and a bank deposit in the HC with the same _______
    will choose the investment with the highest ________ taking into account
    both _________ and _________.
   A. default risk; insurance; insurance premiums; contingency fees
   B. risk; liquidity; inflation rates; price levels
X  C. risk; expected return; interest rates; expected HC exchange rate changes
   D. expected return; market value; the HC exchange rate; the HC price level


31-2 Given a world divided between HC and ROW, if the nominal interest rate
     in the HC is 8 percent in period T, and the nominal interest rate in ROW
     is 4 percent in period T, then the HC nominal exchange rate (measured in
     ROW currency units per HC currency unit) can be expected to _________
     by __________ from period T to T+1.
   A. appreciate; 6 percent
   B. depreciate; 6 percent
   C. appreciate; 4 percent
X  D. depreciate; 4 percent


32-2 As conventionally defined in GDP national income accounting in the
     United States, the _________  keeps track of __________________ .
   A. current account; net trades in existing financial and real assets
   B. capital account; net trades in newly produced goods and services
X  C. current account; net exports and net factor payments and net transfers


33-2 Holding other factors constant, which of the following would INCREASE
the size of the U.S. current account DEFICIT?
   A. A decline in U.S. net investment income
   B. An increase in the amount of services purchased from foreigners
   C. An increase in unilateral transfers from the U.S. to foreigners
X  D. All of the above


34-2 Assuming the world is divided between HC and ROW, if the HC is running
   a current account surplus, then HC national saving _______ HC total
   investment and the HC is ___________ ROW.
   A. is greater than; borrowing from
X  B. is greater than; lending to
   C. is less than; lending to
   D. is less than; borrowing from


35-2 Assuming the world is divided between HC and ROW, that only the HC
  central bank holds offical reserve assets (HC and ROW currency
  reserves), and that the changes in ROW currency reserves ("official
  reserve asset transactions") undertaken by the HC central bank are included
  in the definition of the HC capital account, the balance of payments
  accounting identity for the HC requires that the sum of the _________ and
  the ___________ equals _____________
   A. HC current account; changes in ROW currency reserves; 0
   B. HC capital account; changes in ROW currency reserves; HC current account
X  C. HC current account; HC capital account; 0
   D. HC current account; HC capital account; changes in ROW currency reserves