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Chapter 11

Managing Bond Portfolios

Multiple Choice Questions

1. All other things equal (YTM = 10%), which of the following has the longest duration?

A. A 30-year bond with a 10% coupon


B. A 20-year bond with a 9% coupon
C. A 20-year bond with a 7% coupon
D. A 10-year zero-coupon bond

2. All other things equal(YTM = 10%), which of the following has the shortest duration?

A. A 30-year bond with a 10% coupon


B. A 20-year bond with a 9% coupon
C. A 20-year bond with a 7% coupon
D. A 10-year zero-coupon bond

3. A pension fund must pay out $1 million next year, $2 million the following year, and then $3 million the
year after that. If the discount rate is 8%, what is the duration of this set of payments?

A. 2 years
B. 2.15 years
C. 2.29 years
D. 2.53 years

4. All other things equal, which of the following has the longest duration?

A. A 21-year bond with a 10% coupon yielding 10%


B. A 20-year bond with a 10% coupon yielding 11%
C. A 21-year zero-coupon bond yielding 10%
D. A 20-year zero-coupon bond yielding 11%

5. The duration of a perpetuity varies _______ with interest rates.

A. directly
B. inversely
C. convexly
D. randomly

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authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
6. Because of convexity, when interest rates change, the actual bond price will ____________ the bond price
predicted by duration.

A. always be higher than


B. sometimes be higher than
C. always be lower than
D. sometimes be lower than

7. You find a 5-year AA Xerox bond priced to yield 6%. You find a similar-risk 5-year Canon bond priced to
yield 6.5%. If you expect interest rates to rise, which of the following should you do?

A. Short the Canon bond, and buy the Xerox bond.


B. Buy the Canon bond, and short the Xerox bond.
C. Short both the Canon bond and the Xerox bond.
D. Buy both the Canon bond and the Xerox bond.

8. A forecast of bond returns based largely on a prediction of the yield curve at the end of the investment
horizon is called a _________.

A. contingent immunization
B. dedication strategy
C. duration analysis
D. horizon analysis

9. A bond's price volatility _________ at _________ rate as maturity increases.

A. increases; an increasing
B. increases; a decreasing
C. decreases; an increasing
D. decreases; a decreasing

10. As a result of bond convexity, an increase in a bond's price when yield to maturity falls is ________ the
price decrease resulting from an increase in yield of equal magnitude.

A. greater than
B. equivalent to
C. smaller than
D. The answer cannot be determined from the information given.

11. All else equal, bond price volatility is greater for __________.

A. higher coupon rates


B. lower coupon rates
C. shorter maturity
D. lower default risk

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
12. ______________ is an important characteristic of the relationship between bond prices and yields.

A. Convexity
B. Concavity
C. Complexity
D. Linearity

13. Bond prices are _______ sensitive to changes in yield when the bond is selling at a _______ initial yield to
maturity.

A. more; lower
B. more; higher
C. less; lower
D. equally; higher or lower

14. The pioneer of the duration concept was _________.

A. Eugene Fama
B. John Herzog
C. Frederick Macaulay
D. Harry Markowitz

15. A portfolio manager sells Treasury bonds and buys corporate bonds because the spread between corporate-
and Treasury-bond yields is higher than its historical average. This is an example of __________ swap.

A. a pure yield pickup


B. a rate anticipation
C. a substitution
D. an intermarket spread

16. The duration of a 5-year zero-coupon bond is ____ years.

A. 4.5
B. 5
C. 5.5
D. 3.5

17. A portfolio manager believes interest rates will drop and decides to sell short-duration bonds and buy long-
duration bonds. This is an example of __________ swap.

A. a pure yield pickup


B. a rate anticipation
C. a substitution
D. an intermarket spread

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
18. Target date immunization would primarily be of interest to _________.

A. banks
B. mutual funds
C. pension funds
D. individual investors

19. Duration is a concept that is useful in assessing a bond's _________.

A. credit risk
B. liquidity risk
C. price volatility
D. convexity risk

20. A pension fund has an average duration of its liabilities equal to 15 years. The fund is looking at 5-year
maturity zero-coupon bonds and 4% yield perpetuities to immunize its interest rate risk. How much of its
portfolio should it allocate to the zero-coupon bonds to immunize if there are no other assets funding the
plan?

A. 52%
B. 48%
C. 33%
D. 25%

21. You own a bond that has a duration of 6 years. Interest rates are currently 7%, but you believe the Fed is
about to increase interest rates by 25 basis points. Your predicted price change on this bond is ________.

A. +1.4%
B. -1.4%
C. -2.51%
D. +2.51%

22. Given its time to maturity, the duration of a zero-coupon bond is _________.

A. higher when the discount rate is higher


B. higher when the discount rate is lower
C. lowest when the discount rate is equal to the risk-free rate
D. the same regardless of the discount rate

23. An increase in a bond's yield to maturity results in a price decline that is ________ the price increase
resulting from a decrease in yield of equal magnitude.

A. greater than
B. equivalent to
C. smaller than
D. The answer cannot be determined.

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
24. All other things equal, a bond's duration is _________.

A. higher when the yield to maturity is higher


B. lower when the yield to maturity is higher
C. the same at all yield rates
D. indeterminable when the yield to maturity is high

25. A bank has an average duration of its liabilities equal to 2 years. The bank's average duration of its assets is
3.5 years. The bank's market value of equity is at risk if _______________________.

A. interest rates fall


B. credit spreads fall
C. interest rates rise
D. the price of all fixed-income securities rises

26. All other things equal, a bond's duration is _________.

A. higher when the coupon rate is higher


B. lower when the coupon rate is higher
C. the same when the coupon rate is higher
D. indeterminable when the coupon rate is high

27. Banks and other financial institutions can best manage interest rate risk by _____________.

A. maximizing the duration of assets and minimizing the duration of liabilities


B. minimizing the duration of assets and maximizing the duration of liabilities
C. matching the durations of their assets and liabilities
D. matching the maturities of their assets and liabilities

28. In the context of a bond portfolio, price risk and reinvestment rate risk exactly cancel out at a time horizon
equal to the ____.

A. average bond maturity in the portfolio


B. duration of the portfolio
C. difference between the shortest duration and longest duration of the individual bonds in the portfolio
D. average of the shortest duration and longest duration of the bonds in the portfolio

29. Bond portfolio immunization techniques balance ________ and ________ risk.

A. price; reinvestment
B. price; liquidity
C. credit; reinvestment
D. credit; liquidity

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
30. You have purchased a guaranteed investment contract (GIC) from an insurance firm that promises to pay
you a 5% compound rate of return per year for 6 years. If you pay $10,000 for the GIC today and receive no
interest along the way, you will get __________ in 6 years (to the nearest dollar).

A. $12,565
B. $13,000
C. $13,401
D. $13,676

31. The duration of a portfolio of bonds can be calculated as _______________.

A. the coupon weighted average of the durations of the individual bonds in the portfolio
B. the yield weighted average of the durations of the individual bonds in the portfolio
C. the value weighted average of the durations of the individual bonds in the portfolio
D. averages of the durations of the longest- and shortest-duration bonds in the portfolio

32. Pension fund managers can generally best bring about an effective reduction in their interest rate risk by
holding ___________________.

A. long-maturity bonds
B. long-duration bonds
C. short-maturity bonds
D. short-duration bonds

33. Which of the following is not a type of bond swap used in active portfolio management?

A. Intermarket spread swap


B. Substitution swap
C. Rate anticipation swap
D. Asset-liability swap

34. The exchange of one bond for a bond that has similar attributes but is more attractively priced is called
______________.

A. a substitution swap
B. an intermarket spread swap
C. a rate anticipation swap
D. a pure yield pickup swap

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
35. Rank the interest sensitivity of the following from the most sensitive to an interest rate change to the least
sensitive:

I. 8% coupon, noncallable 20-year maturity par bond


II. 9% coupon, currently callable 20-year maturity premium bond
III. Zero-coupon 30-year maturity bond

A. I, II,
III
B. II, III,
I
C. III, I,
II
D. III, II,
I

36. A bond swap made in response to forecasts of interest rate changes is called ______.

A. a substitution swap
B. an intermarket spread swap
C. a rate anticipation swap
D. a pure yield pickup swap

37. Moving to higher-yield bonds, usually with longer maturities, is called ________.

A. a substitution swap
B. an intermarket spread swap
C. a rate anticipation swap
D. a pure yield pickup swap

38. In a pure yield pickup swap, ________ bonds are exchanged for _________ bonds.

A. longer-duration; shorter-duration
B. shorter-duration; longer-duration
C. high-coupon; high-yield
D. low-yield; high-yield

39. The duration rule always ________ the value of a bond following a change in its yield.

A. underestimates
B. provides an unbiased estimate of
C. overestimates
D. The estimated price may be biased either upward or downward, depending on whether the bond is
trading at a discount or a premium.

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authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
40. Where y = yield to maturity, the duration of a perpetuity would be _________.

A. y
B. y/(1 + y)
C. 1/y
D. (1 + y)/y

41. A bond currently has a price of $1,050. The yield on the bond is 6%. If the yield increases 25 basis points,
the price of the bond will go down to $1,030. The duration of this bond is ____ years.

A. 7.46
B. 8.08
C. 9.02
D. 10.11

42. A bond has a current price of $1,030. The yield on the bond is 8%. If the yield changes from 8% to 8.1%,
the price of the bond will go down to $1,025.88. The modified duration of this bond is _________.

A. 4.32
B. 4
C. 3.25
D. 3.75

43. A bank has $50 million in assets, $47 million in liabilities, and $3 million in shareholders' equity. If the
duration of its liabilities is 1.3 and the bank wants to immunize its net worth against interest rate risk and
thus set the duration of equity equal to zero, it should select assets with an average duration of _________.

A. 1.22
B. 1.5
C. 1.6
D. 2

44. A perpetuity pays $100 each and every year forever. The duration of this perpetuity will be __________ if
its yield is 9%.

A. 7
B. 9
C. 9.39
D. 12.11

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
45. A bond pays annual interest. Its coupon rate is 9%. Its value at maturity is $1,000. It matures in 4 years. Its
yield to maturity is currently 6%.

The duration of this bond is _______ years.

A. 2.44
B. 3.23
C. 3.56
D. 4.1

46. A bond pays annual interest. Its coupon rate is 9%. Its value at maturity is $1,000. It matures in 4 years. Its
yield to maturity is currently 6%.

The modified duration of this bond is ______ years.

A. 4
B. 3.56
C. 3.36
D. 3.05

47. A bond has a maturity of 12 years and a duration of 9.5 years at a promised yield rate of 8%. What is the
bond's modified duration?

A. 12 years
B. 11.1 years
C. 9.5 years
D. 8.8 years

48. A 20-year maturity bond pays interest of $90 once per year and has a face value of $1,000. Its yield to
maturity is 10%. You expect that interest rates will decline over the upcoming year and that the yield to
maturity on this bond will be only 8% a year from now. Using horizon analysis, the return you expect to
earn by holding this bond over the upcoming year is _________.

A. 10%
B. 12%
C. 21.6%
D. 29.6%

49. A bond with a 9-year duration is worth $1,080, and its yield to maturity is 8%. If the yield to maturity falls
to 7.84%, you would predict that the new value of the bond will be approximately _________.

A. $1,035
B. $1,036
C. $1,094
D. $1,124

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
50. When interest rates increase, the duration of a 20-year bond selling at a premium _________.

A. increases
B. decreases
C. remains the same
D. increases at first and then declines

51. Duration facilitates the comparison of bonds with differing ___________.

A. default risks
B. conversion ratios
C. maturities
D. yields to maturity

52. The historical yield spread between the AA bond and the AAA bond has been 25 basis points. Currently the
spread is only 9 basis points. If you believe the spread will soon return to its historical levels, you should
________________________.

A. buy the AA and short the AAA


B. buy both the AA and the AAA
C. buy the AAA and short the AA
D. short both the AA and the AAA

53. The duration of a bond normally increases with an increase in:

I. Term to maturity
II. Yield to maturity
III. Coupon rate

A. I only
B. I and II only
C. II and III only
D. I, II, and III

54. A fixed-income portfolio manager sets a minimum acceptable rate of return on the bond portfolio at 5% per
year over the next 4 years. The portfolio is currently worth $10 million. One year later interest rates are at
6%. What is the portfolio value trigger point at this time that would require the manager to immunize the
portfolio?

A. $12,155,063
B. $10,205,625
C. $9,627,948
D. $10,500,000

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
55. Compute the duration of an 8%, 5-year corporate bond with a par value of $1,000 and yield to maturity of
10%.

A. 3.92
B. 4.28
C. 4.55
D. 5

56. Compute the modified duration of a 9% coupon, 3-year corporate bond with a yield to maturity of 12%.

A. 2.45
B. 2.75
C. 2.88
D. 3

57. An 8%, 30-year bond has a yield to maturity of 10% and a modified duration of 8 years. If the market yield
drops by 15 basis points, there will be a __________ in the bond's price.

A. 1.15% decrease
B. 1.2% increase
C. 1.53% increase
D. 2.43% decrease

58. To create a portfolio with a duration of 4 years using a 5-year zero-coupon bond and a 3-year 8% annual
coupon bond with a yield to maturity of 10%, one would have to invest ________ of the portfolio value in
the zero-coupon bond.

A. 50%
B. 55%
C. 60%
D. 75%

59. Which of the following set of conditions will result in a bond with the greatest price volatility?

A. A high coupon and a short maturity


B. A high coupon and a long maturity
C. A low coupon and a short maturity
D. A low coupon and a long maturity

60. An investor who expects declining interest rates would maximize her capital gain by purchasing a bond that
has a _________ coupon and a _________ term to maturity.

A. low; long
B. high; short
C. high; long
D. zero; long

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
61. If you choose a zero-coupon bond with a maturity that matches your investment horizon, which of the
following statements is (are) correct?

I. You will have no interest rate risk on this bond.


II. In the absence of default, you can be sure you will earn the promised yield rate.
III. The duration of your bond is less than the time to your investment horizon.

A. I only
B. I and II only
C. II and III only
D. I, II, and III

62. As compared with equivalent maturity bonds selling at par, deep discount bonds will have ________.

A. greater reinvestment risk


B. greater price volatility
C. less call protection
D. shorter average maturity

63. Steel Pier Company has issued bonds that pay semiannually with the following characteristics:

The modified duration for the Steel Pier bond is ______.

A. 6.15 years
B. 5.95 years
C. 6.49 years
D. 9.09 years

64. Steel Pier Company has issued bonds that pay semiannually with the following characteristics:

If the bond's coupon was smaller than 10%, the modified duration would be _____ compared to the original
modified duration.

A. larger
B. unchanged
C. smaller
D. The answer cannot be determined from the information given.

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
65. Steel Pier Company has issued bonds that pay semiannually with the following characteristics:

If the maturity of the bond was less than 10 years, the modified duration would be _____ compared to the
original modified duration.

A. larger
B. unchanged
C. smaller
D. The answer cannot be determined from the information given.

66. Steel Pier Company has issued bonds that pay semiannually with the following characteristics:

If the yield to maturity decreases to 8.045%, the expected percentage change in the price of the bond using
modified duration would be ____.

A. 11%
B. 13%
C. 12%
D. 10%

67. A 20-year maturity corporate bond has a 6.5% coupon rate (the coupons are paid annually). The bond
currently sells for $925.50. A bond market analyst forecasts that in 5 years yields on such bonds will be at
7%. You believe that you will be able to reinvest the coupons earned over the next 5 years at a 6% rate of
return. What is your expected annual compound rate of return if you plan on selling the bond in 5 years?

A. 7.37%
B. 7.56%
C. 8.12%
D. 8.54%

68. When bonds sell above par, what is the relationship of price sensitivity to rising interest rates?

A. Price volatility increases at an increasing rate.


B. Price volatility increases at a decreasing rate.
C. Price volatility decreases at a decreasing rate.
D. Price volatility decreases at an increasing rate.

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
69. A zero-coupon bond is selling at a deep discount price of $430. It matures in 13 years. If the yield to
maturity of the bond is 6.7%, what is the duration of the bond?

A. 6.7 years
B. 8 years
C. 10 years
D. 13 years

70. You have an investment that in today's dollars returns 15% of your investment in year 1, 12% in year 2, 9%
in year 3, and the remainder in year 4. What is the duration of this investment?

A. 4 years
B. 3.5 years
C. 3.22 years
D. 2.95 years

71. If an investment returns a higher percentage of your money back sooner, it will ______.

A. be less price-volatile
B. have a higher credit rating
C. be less liquid
D. have a higher modified duration

72. Which one of the following statements correctly describes the weights used in the Macaulay duration
calculation? The weight in year t is equal to ____________.

A. the dollar amount of the investment received in year t


B. the percentage of the future value of the investment received in year t
C. the present value of the dollar amount of the investment received in year t
D. the percentage of the total present value of the investment received in year t

73. The duration is independent of the coupon rate only for which one of the following?

A. Discount bonds
B. Premium bonds
C. Perpetuities
D. Short-term bonds

74. You have an investment horizon of 6 years. You choose to hold a bond with a duration of 10 years. Your
realized rate of return will be larger than the promised yield on the bond if ___________________.

A. interest rates increase


B. interest rates stay the same
C. interest rates fall
D. The answer cannot be determined from the information given.

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
75. A bond portfolio manager notices a hump in the yield curve at the 5-year point. How might a bond manager
take advantage of this event?

A. Buy the 5-year bonds, and short the surrounding maturity bonds.
B. Buy the 5-year bonds, and buy the surrounding maturity bonds.
C. Short the 5-year bonds, and short the surrounding maturity bonds.
D. Short the 5-year bonds, and buy the surrounding maturity bonds.

76. Market economists all predict a rise in interest rates. An astute bond manager wishing to maximize her
capital gain might employ which strategy?

A. Switch from low-duration to high-duration bonds.


B. Switch from high-duration to low-duration bonds.
C. Switch from high-grade to low-grade bonds.
D. Switch from low-coupon to high-coupon bonds.

77. You have an investment horizon of 6 years. You choose to hold a bond with a duration of 4 years. Your
realized rate of return will be larger than the promised yield on the bond if ___________________.

A. interest rates increase


B. interest rates stay the same
C. interest rates fall
D. The answer cannot be determined from the information given.

78. What strategy might an insurance company employ to ensure that it will be able to meet the obligations of
annuity holders?

A. Cash flow matching


B. Index tracking
C. Yield pickup swaps
D. Substitution swap

79. You have an investment horizon of 6 years. You choose to hold a bond with a duration of 6 years and
continue to match your investment horizon and duration throughout your holding period. Your realized rate
of return will be the same as the promised yield on the bond if:

I. Interest rates increase.


II. Interest rates stay the same.
III. Interest rates fall.

A. I only
B. II
only
C. I and II only
D. I, II, and III

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
80. Immunization of coupon-paying bonds does not imply that the portfolio manager is inactive because:

I. The portfolio must be rebalanced every time interest rates change.


II. The portfolio must be rebalanced over time even if interest rates don't change.
III. Convexity implies duration-based immunization strategies don't work.

A. I only
B. I and II only
C. II
only
D. I, II, and III

81. Advantages of cash flow matching and dedicated strategies include:

I. Once the cash flows are matched, there is no need for rebalancing.
II. Cash flow matching typically earns a higher rate of return than active bond portfolio management.
III. Financial institutions' liabilities often exceed the maturity of available bonds, making cash matching
even more desirable.

A. I only
B. II
only
C. I and III only
D. I, II, and III

82. Convexity implies that duration predictions:

I. Underestimate the percentage increase in bond price when the yield falls.
II. Underestimate the percentage decrease in bond price when the yield rises.
III. Overestimate the percentage increase in bond price when the yield falls.
IV. Overestimate the percentage decrease in bond price when the yield rises.

A. I and III only


B. II and IV only
C. I and IV only
D. II and III only

83. You have a 25-year maturity, 10% coupon, 10% yield bond with a duration of 10 years and a convexity of
135.5. If the interest rate were to fall 125 basis points, your predicted new price for the bond (including
convexity) is _________.

A. $1,098.45
B. $1,104.56
C. $1,113.41
D. $1,124.22

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
84. You have a 15-year maturity, 4% coupon, 6% yield bond with duration of 10.5 years and a convexity of
128.75. The bond is currently priced at $805.76. If the interest rate were to increase 200 basis points, your
predicted new price for the bond (including convexity) is _________.

A. $638.85
B. $642.54
C. $666.88
D. $705.03

85. Convexity of a bond is ___________.

A. the same as horizon analysis


B. the rate of change of the slope of the price-yield curve divided by the bond price
C. a measure of bond duration
D. none of these options

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Chapter 11 Managing Bond Portfolios Answer Key

Multiple Choice Questions

1. All other things equal (YTM = 10%), which of the following has the longest duration?

A. A 30-year bond with a 10% coupon


B. A 20-year bond with a 9% coupon
C. A 20-year bond with a 7% coupon
D. A 10-year zero-coupon bond

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

2. All other things equal(YTM = 10%), which of the following has the shortest duration?

A. A 30-year bond with a 10% coupon


B. A 20-year bond with a 9% coupon
C. A 20-year bond with a 7% coupon
D. A 10-year zero-coupon bond

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
3. A pension fund must pay out $1 million next year, $2 million the following year, and then $3 million the
year after that. If the discount rate is 8%, what is the duration of this set of payments?

A. 2 years
B. 2.15 years
C. 2.29 years
D. 2.53 years

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

4. All other things equal, which of the following has the longest duration?

A. A 21-year bond with a 10% coupon yielding 10%


B. A 20-year bond with a 10% coupon yielding 11%
C. A 21-year zero-coupon bond yielding 10%
D. A 20-year zero-coupon bond yielding 11%

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

5. The duration of a perpetuity varies _______ with interest rates.

A. directly
B. inversely
C. convexly
D. randomly

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
6. Because of convexity, when interest rates change, the actual bond price will ____________ the bond
price predicted by duration.

A. always be higher than


B. sometimes be higher than
C. always be lower than
D. sometimes be lower than

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 11-03 Show how convexity affects the response of bond prices to changes in interest rates.
Topic: Convexity

7. You find a 5-year AA Xerox bond priced to yield 6%. You find a similar-risk 5-year Canon bond priced
to yield 6.5%. If you expect interest rates to rise, which of the following should you do?

A. Short the Canon bond, and buy the Xerox bond.


B. Buy the Canon bond, and short the Xerox bond.
C. Short both the Canon bond and the Xerox bond.
D. Buy both the Canon bond and the Xerox bond.

AACSB: Reflective Thinking


Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-01 Analyze the features of a bond that affect the sensitivity of its price to interest rates.
Topic: Interest Rate Risk

8. A forecast of bond returns based largely on a prediction of the yield curve at the end of the investment
horizon is called a _________.

A. contingent immunization
B. dedication strategy
C. duration analysis
D. horizon analysis

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 11-05 Analyze the choices to be made in an actively managed bond portfolio.
Topic: Active Bond Management

9. A bond's price volatility _________ at _________ rate as maturity increases.

A. increases; an increasing
B. increases; a decreasing
C. decreases; an increasing
D. decreases; a decreasing

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 11-01 Analyze the features of a bond that affect the sensitivity of its price to interest rates.

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Topic: Interest Rate Risk

10. As a result of bond convexity, an increase in a bond's price when yield to maturity falls is ________ the
price decrease resulting from an increase in yield of equal magnitude.

A. greater than
B. equivalent to
C. smaller than
D. The answer cannot be determined from the information given.

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-01 Analyze the features of a bond that affect the sensitivity of its price to interest rates.
Topic: Interest Rate Risk

11. All else equal, bond price volatility is greater for __________.

A. higher coupon rates


B. lower coupon rates
C. shorter maturity
D. lower default risk

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 11-01 Analyze the features of a bond that affect the sensitivity of its price to interest rates.
Topic: Interest Rate Risk

12. ______________ is an important characteristic of the relationship between bond prices and yields.

A. Convexity
B. Concavity
C. Complexity
D. Linearity

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-03 Show how convexity affects the response of bond prices to changes in interest rates.
Topic: Convexity

13. Bond prices are _______ sensitive to changes in yield when the bond is selling at a _______ initial yield
to maturity.

A. more; lower
B. more; higher
C. less; lower
D. equally; higher or lower

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Learning Objective: 11-01 Analyze the features of a bond that affect the sensitivity of its price to interest rates.
Topic: Interest Rate Risk

14. The pioneer of the duration concept was _________.

A. Eugene Fama
B. John Herzog
C. Frederick Macaulay
D. Harry Markowitz

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

15. A portfolio manager sells Treasury bonds and buys corporate bonds because the spread between
corporate- and Treasury-bond yields is higher than its historical average. This is an example of
__________ swap.

A. a pure yield pickup


B. a rate anticipation
C. a substitution
D. an intermarket spread

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 11-05 Analyze the choices to be made in an actively managed bond portfolio.
Topic: Active Bond Management

16. The duration of a 5-year zero-coupon bond is ____ years.

A. 4.5
B. 5
C. 5.5
D. 3.5

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

17. A portfolio manager believes interest rates will drop and decides to sell short-duration bonds and buy
long-duration bonds. This is an example of __________ swap.

A. a pure yield pickup


B. a rate anticipation
C. a substitution
D. an intermarket spread

AACSB: Analytic
© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 11-05 Analyze the choices to be made in an actively managed bond portfolio.
Topic: Active Bond Management

18. Target date immunization would primarily be of interest to _________.

A. banks
B. mutual funds
C. pension funds
D. individual investors

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 11-04 Formulate fixed-income immunization strategies for various investment horizons.
Topic: Passive Bond Management

19. Duration is a concept that is useful in assessing a bond's _________.

A. credit risk
B. liquidity risk
C. price volatility
D. convexity risk

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

20. A pension fund has an average duration of its liabilities equal to 15 years. The fund is looking at 5-year
maturity zero-coupon bonds and 4% yield perpetuities to immunize its interest rate risk. How much of its
portfolio should it allocate to the zero-coupon bonds to immunize if there are no other assets funding the
plan?

A. 52%
B. 48%
C. 33%
D. 25%

Duration of the perpetuity = 1.04/.04 = 26 years


Duration of the zero = 5 years
15 = (wz)(5) + (1 - wz)26; wz = 52.38%

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 11-04 Formulate fixed-income immunization strategies for various investment horizons.
Topic: Passive Bond Management

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
21. You own a bond that has a duration of 6 years. Interest rates are currently 7%, but you believe the Fed is
about to increase interest rates by 25 basis points. Your predicted price change on this bond is
________.

A. +1.4%
B. -1.4%
C. -2.51%
D. +2.51%

D* = 6/1.07 = 5.61
ΔP/P = -D*(Δy) = -5.61(.25%) = -1.4%

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

22. Given its time to maturity, the duration of a zero-coupon bond is _________.

A. higher when the discount rate is higher


B. higher when the discount rate is lower
C. lowest when the discount rate is equal to the risk-free rate
D. the same regardless of the discount rate

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

23. An increase in a bond's yield to maturity results in a price decline that is ________ the price increase
resulting from a decrease in yield of equal magnitude.

A. greater than
B. equivalent to
C. smaller than
D. The answer cannot be determined.

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-01 Analyze the features of a bond that affect the sensitivity of its price to interest rates.
Topic: Interest Rate Risk

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
24. All other things equal, a bond's duration is _________.

A. higher when the yield to maturity is higher


B. lower when the yield to maturity is higher
C. the same at all yield rates
D. indeterminable when the yield to maturity is high

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

25. A bank has an average duration of its liabilities equal to 2 years. The bank's average duration of its assets
is 3.5 years. The bank's market value of equity is at risk if _______________________.

A. interest rates fall


B. credit spreads fall
C. interest rates rise
D. the price of all fixed-income securities rises

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-04 Formulate fixed-income immunization strategies for various investment horizons.
Topic: Passive Bond Management

26. All other things equal, a bond's duration is _________.

A. higher when the coupon rate is higher


B. lower when the coupon rate is higher
C. the same when the coupon rate is higher
D. indeterminable when the coupon rate is high

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

27. Banks and other financial institutions can best manage interest rate risk by _____________.

A. maximizing the duration of assets and minimizing the duration of liabilities


B. minimizing the duration of assets and maximizing the duration of liabilities
C. matching the durations of their assets and liabilities
D. matching the maturities of their assets and liabilities

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-04 Formulate fixed-income immunization strategies for various investment horizons.
Topic: Passive Bond Management

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
28. In the context of a bond portfolio, price risk and reinvestment rate risk exactly cancel out at a time
horizon equal to the ____.

A. average bond maturity in the portfolio


B. duration of the portfolio
C. difference between the shortest duration and longest duration of the individual bonds in the portfolio
D. average of the shortest duration and longest duration of the bonds in the portfolio

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 11-04 Formulate fixed-income immunization strategies for various investment horizons.
Topic: Passive Bond Management

29. Bond portfolio immunization techniques balance ________ and ________ risk.

A. price; reinvestment
B. price; liquidity
C. credit; reinvestment
D. credit; liquidity

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 11-04 Formulate fixed-income immunization strategies for various investment horizons.
Topic: Passive Bond Management

30. You have purchased a guaranteed investment contract (GIC) from an insurance firm that promises to pay
you a 5% compound rate of return per year for 6 years. If you pay $10,000 for the GIC today and receive
no interest along the way, you will get __________ in 6 years (to the nearest dollar).

A. $12,565
B. $13,000
C. $13,401
D. $13,676

(10,000)(1.05)6 = $13,401

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 11-04 Formulate fixed-income immunization strategies for various investment horizons.
Topic: Passive Bond Management

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
31. The duration of a portfolio of bonds can be calculated as _______________.

A. the coupon weighted average of the durations of the individual bonds in the portfolio
B. the yield weighted average of the durations of the individual bonds in the portfolio
C. the value weighted average of the durations of the individual bonds in the portfolio
D. averages of the durations of the longest- and shortest-duration bonds in the portfolio

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

32. Pension fund managers can generally best bring about an effective reduction in their interest rate risk by
holding ___________________.

A. long-maturity bonds
B. long-duration bonds
C. short-maturity bonds
D. short-duration bonds

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-04 Formulate fixed-income immunization strategies for various investment horizons.
Topic: Passive Bond Management

33. Which of the following is not a type of bond swap used in active portfolio management?

A. Intermarket spread swap


B. Substitution swap
C. Rate anticipation swap
D. Asset-liability swap

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 11-05 Analyze the choices to be made in an actively managed bond portfolio.
Topic: Active Bond Management

34. The exchange of one bond for a bond that has similar attributes but is more attractively priced is called
______________.

A. a substitution swap
B. an intermarket spread swap
C. a rate anticipation swap
D. a pure yield pickup swap

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 11-05 Analyze the choices to be made in an actively managed bond portfolio.
Topic: Active Bond Management

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
35. Rank the interest sensitivity of the following from the most sensitive to an interest rate change to the
least sensitive:

I. 8% coupon, noncallable 20-year maturity par bond


II. 9% coupon, currently callable 20-year maturity premium bond
III. Zero-coupon 30-year maturity bond

A. I, II,
III
B. II, III,
I
C. III, I,
II
D. III, II,
I

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 11-01 Analyze the features of a bond that affect the sensitivity of its price to interest rates.
Topic: Interest Rate Risk

36. A bond swap made in response to forecasts of interest rate changes is called ______.

A. a substitution swap
B. an intermarket spread swap
C. a rate anticipation swap
D. a pure yield pickup swap

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 11-05 Analyze the choices to be made in an actively managed bond portfolio.
Topic: Active Bond Management

37. Moving to higher-yield bonds, usually with longer maturities, is called ________.

A. a substitution swap
B. an intermarket spread swap
C. a rate anticipation swap
D. a pure yield pickup swap

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 11-05 Analyze the choices to be made in an actively managed bond portfolio.
Topic: Active Bond Management

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
38. In a pure yield pickup swap, ________ bonds are exchanged for _________ bonds.

A. longer-duration; shorter-duration
B. shorter-duration; longer-duration
C. high-coupon; high-yield
D. low-yield; high-yield

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 11-05 Analyze the choices to be made in an actively managed bond portfolio.
Topic: Active Bond Management

39. The duration rule always ________ the value of a bond following a change in its yield.

A. underestimates
B. provides an unbiased estimate of
C. overestimates
D. The estimated price may be biased either upward or downward, depending on whether the bond is
trading at a discount or a premium.

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

40. Where y = yield to maturity, the duration of a perpetuity would be _________.

A. y
B. y/(1 + y)
C. 1/y
D. (1 + y)/y

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
41. A bond currently has a price of $1,050. The yield on the bond is 6%. If the yield increases 25 basis
points, the price of the bond will go down to $1,030. The duration of this bond is ____ years.

A. 7.46
B. 8.08
C. 9.02
D. 10.11

ΔP/P = -D*(Δy)
-20/1,050 = -D*(.25%)
-1.9% = -D*(.25%)
D* = 7.6
D = D*(1 + y)
D = 7.6(1.0625) = 8.075

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

42. A bond has a current price of $1,030. The yield on the bond is 8%. If the yield changes from 8% to 8.1%,
the price of the bond will go down to $1,025.88. The modified duration of this bond is _________.

A. 4.32
B. 4
C. 3.25
D. 3.75

ΔP/P = -D*(Δy)
-.40% = -D*(.10%)
D* = .40%/.10% = 4

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
43. A bank has $50 million in assets, $47 million in liabilities, and $3 million in shareholders' equity. If the
duration of its liabilities is 1.3 and the bank wants to immunize its net worth against interest rate risk and
thus set the duration of equity equal to zero, it should select assets with an average duration of
_________.

A. 1.22
B. 1.5
C. 1.6
D. 2

(50,000,000)(DA) = (47,000,000)(1.3); DA = 1.22

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-04 Formulate fixed-income immunization strategies for various investment horizons.
Topic: Passive Bond Management

44. A perpetuity pays $100 each and every year forever. The duration of this perpetuity will be __________
if its yield is 9%.

A. 7
B. 9
C. 9.39
D. 12.11

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
45. A bond pays annual interest. Its coupon rate is 9%. Its value at maturity is $1,000. It matures in 4 years.
Its yield to maturity is currently 6%.

The duration of this bond is _______ years.

A. 2.44
B. 3.23
C. 3.56
D. 4.1

Duration = 3.56

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

46. A bond pays annual interest. Its coupon rate is 9%. Its value at maturity is $1,000. It matures in 4 years.
Its yield to maturity is currently 6%.

The modified duration of this bond is ______ years.

A. 4
B. 3.56
C. 3.36
D. 3.05

D* = 3.56/1.06 = 3.36 years

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
47. A bond has a maturity of 12 years and a duration of 9.5 years at a promised yield rate of 8%. What is the
bond's modified duration?

A. 12 years
B. 11.1 years
C. 9.5 years
D. 8.8 years

D* = 9.5/1.08 = 8.8 years

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

48. A 20-year maturity bond pays interest of $90 once per year and has a face value of $1,000. Its yield to
maturity is 10%. You expect that interest rates will decline over the upcoming year and that the yield to
maturity on this bond will be only 8% a year from now. Using horizon analysis, the return you expect to
earn by holding this bond over the upcoming year is _________.

A. 10%
B. 12%
C. 21.6%
D. 29.6%

Calculator entries for the price today are N = 20, I/Y = 10, PMT = 90, FV = 1,000, CPT PV -914.86

calculator entries for the price in 1 year are N = 19, I/Y = 8, PMT = 90, FV = 1,000, CPT PV -
1,096.04

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 11-01 Analyze the features of a bond that affect the sensitivity of its price to interest rates.
Topic: Interest Rate Risk

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
49. A bond with a 9-year duration is worth $1,080, and its yield to maturity is 8%. If the yield to maturity
falls to 7.84%, you would predict that the new value of the bond will be approximately _________.

A. $1,035
B. $1,036
C. $1,094
D. $1,124

ΔP/P = -D*(Δy)
D* = D/(1 + y) = 9/1.08 = 8.33
ΔP/P = -D*(Δy) = -8.33(-.16%) = 1.33%
New price = $1,080(1.01333) = $1,094.40

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

50. When interest rates increase, the duration of a 20-year bond selling at a premium _________.

A. increases
B. decreases
C. remains the same
D. increases at first and then declines

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

51. Duration facilitates the comparison of bonds with differing ___________.

A. default risks
B. conversion ratios
C. maturities
D. yields to maturity

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
52. The historical yield spread between the AA bond and the AAA bond has been 25 basis points. Currently
the spread is only 9 basis points. If you believe the spread will soon return to its historical levels, you
should ________________________.

A. buy the AA and short the AAA


B. buy both the AA and the AAA
C. buy the AAA and short the AA
D. short both the AA and the AAA

AACSB: Reflective Thinking


Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-05 Analyze the choices to be made in an actively managed bond portfolio.
Topic: Active Bond Management

53. The duration of a bond normally increases with an increase in:

I. Term to maturity
II. Yield to maturity
III. Coupon rate

A. I only
B. I and II only
C. II and III only
D. I, II, and III

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

54. A fixed-income portfolio manager sets a minimum acceptable rate of return on the bond portfolio at 5%
per year over the next 4 years. The portfolio is currently worth $10 million. One year later interest rates
are at 6%. What is the portfolio value trigger point at this time that would require the manager to
immunize the portfolio?

A. $12,155,063
B. $10,205,625
C. $9,627,948
D. $10,500,000

Minimum terminal value = ($10 million)(1.05)4 = $12,155,062.50


Trigger point value = $12,155,062.50/1.063 = $10,205,625

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 11-04 Formulate fixed-income immunization strategies for various investment horizons.
Topic: Passive Bond Management

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
55. Compute the duration of an 8%, 5-year corporate bond with a par value of $1,000 and yield to maturity
of 10%.

A. 3.92
B. 4.28
C. 4.55
D. 5

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

56. Compute the modified duration of a 9% coupon, 3-year corporate bond with a yield to maturity of 12%.

A. 2.45
B. 2.75
C. 2.88
D. 3

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
57. An 8%, 30-year bond has a yield to maturity of 10% and a modified duration of 8 years. If the market
yield drops by 15 basis points, there will be a __________ in the bond's price.

A. 1.15% decrease
B. 1.2% increase
C. 1.53% increase
D. 2.43% decrease

(ΔP/P) = -8(-.0015) = .012

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

58. To create a portfolio with a duration of 4 years using a 5-year zero-coupon bond and a 3-year 8% annual
coupon bond with a yield to maturity of 10%, one would have to invest ________ of the portfolio value
in the zero-coupon bond.

A. 50%
B. 55%
C. 60%
D. 75%

The duration of the 3-year bond is 2.78, as shown in the table below.

Then 5wZ + 2.78(1 - wZ) = 4


2.22wZ = 1.22
wZ = .5495

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 11-04 Formulate fixed-income immunization strategies for various investment horizons.
Topic: Passive Bond Management

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
59. Which of the following set of conditions will result in a bond with the greatest price volatility?

A. A high coupon and a short maturity


B. A high coupon and a long maturity
C. A low coupon and a short maturity
D. A low coupon and a long maturity

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 11-01 Analyze the features of a bond that affect the sensitivity of its price to interest rates.
Topic: Interest Rate Risk

60. An investor who expects declining interest rates would maximize her capital gain by purchasing a bond
that has a _________ coupon and a _________ term to maturity.

A. low; long
B. high; short
C. high; long
D. zero; long

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 11-01 Analyze the features of a bond that affect the sensitivity of its price to interest rates.
Topic: Interest Rate Risk

61. If you choose a zero-coupon bond with a maturity that matches your investment horizon, which of the
following statements is (are) correct?

I. You will have no interest rate risk on this bond.


II. In the absence of default, you can be sure you will earn the promised yield rate.
III. The duration of your bond is less than the time to your investment horizon.

A. I only
B. I and II only
C. II and III only
D. I, II, and III

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 11-04 Formulate fixed-income immunization strategies for various investment horizons.
Topic: Passive Bond Management

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
62. As compared with equivalent maturity bonds selling at par, deep discount bonds will have ________.

A. greater reinvestment risk


B. greater price volatility
C. less call protection
D. shorter average maturity

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 11-01 Analyze the features of a bond that affect the sensitivity of its price to interest rates.
Topic: Interest Rate Risk

63. Steel Pier Company has issued bonds that pay semiannually with the following characteristics:

The modified duration for the Steel Pier bond is ______.

A. 6.15 years
B. 5.95 years
C. 6.49 years
D. 9.09 years

D* = 6.76/1.1 = 6.15 years

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

64. Steel Pier Company has issued bonds that pay semiannually with the following characteristics:

If the bond's coupon was smaller than 10%, the modified duration would be _____ compared to the
original modified duration.

A. larger
B. unchanged
C. smaller
D. The answer cannot be determined from the information given.

AACSB: Reflective Thinking


Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
65. Steel Pier Company has issued bonds that pay semiannually with the following characteristics:

If the maturity of the bond was less than 10 years, the modified duration would be _____ compared to
the original modified duration.

A. larger
B. unchanged
C. smaller
D. The answer cannot be determined from the information given.

AACSB: Reflective Thinking


Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

66. Steel Pier Company has issued bonds that pay semiannually with the following characteristics:

If the yield to maturity decreases to 8.045%, the expected percentage change in the price of the bond
using modified duration would be ____.

A. 11%
B. 13%
C. 12%
D. 10%

Δy = 8.045% - 10% = -1.995%


%ΔP = -D*(Δy) = -6.76(-1.995%) = 12.01%

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
67. A 20-year maturity corporate bond has a 6.5% coupon rate (the coupons are paid annually). The bond
currently sells for $925.50. A bond market analyst forecasts that in 5 years yields on such bonds will be
at 7%. You believe that you will be able to reinvest the coupons earned over the next 5 years at a 6% rate
of return. What is your expected annual compound rate of return if you plan on selling the bond in 5
years?

A. 7.37%
B. 7.56%
C. 8.12%
D. 8.54%

FV5 of the reinvested coupons is $366.61.

Calculator entries are N = 5, I/Y = 6, PV = 0, PMT = -65, CPT FV 366.61


Value of the bond at time 5 is $954.46.

Calculator entries are N = 15, I/Y = 7, PMT = -65, FV = -1,000, CPT PV 954.46
Total future value at time 5 = $366.41 + $954.46 = $1,320.87
PV0 = $925.50
($925.50)(1 + r)5 = $1,320.87; r = 7.37%

Or N = 5, PV = -925.50, PMT = 0, FV = 1,320.87, CPT I/Y 7.37

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 11-05 Analyze the choices to be made in an actively managed bond portfolio.
Topic: Active Bond Management

68. When bonds sell above par, what is the relationship of price sensitivity to rising interest rates?

A. Price volatility increases at an increasing rate.


B. Price volatility increases at a decreasing rate.
C. Price volatility decreases at a decreasing rate.
D. Price volatility decreases at an increasing rate.

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-01 Analyze the features of a bond that affect the sensitivity of its price to interest rates.
Topic: Interest Rate Risk

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
69. A zero-coupon bond is selling at a deep discount price of $430. It matures in 13 years. If the yield to
maturity of the bond is 6.7%, what is the duration of the bond?

A. 6.7 years
B. 8 years
C. 10 years
D. 13 years

Duration of a zero-coupon bond is equal to its maturity.

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

70. You have an investment that in today's dollars returns 15% of your investment in year 1, 12% in year 2,
9% in year 3, and the remainder in year 4. What is the duration of this investment?

A. 4 years
B. 3.5 years
C. 3.22 years
D. 2.95 years

D = (15%)(1) + (12%)(2) + (9%)(3) + (64%)(4) = 3.22 years

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

71. If an investment returns a higher percentage of your money back sooner, it will ______.

A. be less price-volatile
B. have a higher credit rating
C. be less liquid
D. have a higher modified duration

AACSB: Reflective Thinking


Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
72. Which one of the following statements correctly describes the weights used in the Macaulay duration
calculation? The weight in year t is equal to ____________.

A. the dollar amount of the investment received in year t


B. the percentage of the future value of the investment received in year t
C. the present value of the dollar amount of the investment received in year t
D. the percentage of the total present value of the investment received in year t

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

73. The duration is independent of the coupon rate only for which one of the following?

A. Discount bonds
B. Premium bonds
C. Perpetuities
D. Short-term bonds

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

74. You have an investment horizon of 6 years. You choose to hold a bond with a duration of 10 years. Your
realized rate of return will be larger than the promised yield on the bond if ___________________.

A. interest rates increase


B. interest rates stay the same
C. interest rates fall
D. The answer cannot be determined from the information given.

AACSB: Reflective Thinking


Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-02 Compute the duration of bonds; and use duration to measure interest rate sensitivity.
Topic: Duration

75. A bond portfolio manager notices a hump in the yield curve at the 5-year point. How might a bond
manager take advantage of this event?

A. Buy the 5-year bonds, and short the surrounding maturity bonds.
B. Buy the 5-year bonds, and buy the surrounding maturity bonds.
C. Short the 5-year bonds, and short the surrounding maturity bonds.
D. Short the 5-year bonds, and buy the surrounding maturity bonds.

AACSB: Reflective Thinking


Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-05 Analyze the choices to be made in an actively managed bond portfolio.

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Topic: Active Bond Management

76. Market economists all predict a rise in interest rates. An astute bond manager wishing to maximize her
capital gain might employ which strategy?

A. Switch from low-duration to high-duration bonds.


B. Switch from high-duration to low-duration bonds.
C. Switch from high-grade to low-grade bonds.
D. Switch from low-coupon to high-coupon bonds.

AACSB: Reflective Thinking


Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-05 Analyze the choices to be made in an actively managed bond portfolio.
Topic: Active Bond Management

77. You have an investment horizon of 6 years. You choose to hold a bond with a duration of 4 years. Your
realized rate of return will be larger than the promised yield on the bond if ___________________.

A. interest rates increase


B. interest rates stay the same
C. interest rates fall
D. The answer cannot be determined from the information given.

AACSB: Reflective Thinking


Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-04 Formulate fixed-income immunization strategies for various investment horizons.
Topic: Passive Bond Management

78. What strategy might an insurance company employ to ensure that it will be able to meet the obligations
of annuity holders?

A. Cash flow matching


B. Index tracking
C. Yield pickup swaps
D. Substitution swap

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-04 Formulate fixed-income immunization strategies for various investment horizons.
Topic: Passive Bond Management

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
79. You have an investment horizon of 6 years. You choose to hold a bond with a duration of 6 years and
continue to match your investment horizon and duration throughout your holding period. Your realized
rate of return will be the same as the promised yield on the bond if:

I. Interest rates increase.


II. Interest rates stay the same.
III. Interest rates fall.

A. I only
B. II
only
C. I and II only
D. I, II, and III

AACSB: Reflective Thinking


Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-04 Formulate fixed-income immunization strategies for various investment horizons.
Topic: Passive Bond Management

80. Immunization of coupon-paying bonds does not imply that the portfolio manager is inactive because:

I. The portfolio must be rebalanced every time interest rates change.


II. The portfolio must be rebalanced over time even if interest rates don't change.
III. Convexity implies duration-based immunization strategies don't work.

A. I only
B. I and II only
C. II
only
D. I, II, and III

AACSB: Reflective Thinking


Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-04 Formulate fixed-income immunization strategies for various investment horizons.
Topic: Passive Bond Management

81. Advantages of cash flow matching and dedicated strategies include:

I. Once the cash flows are matched, there is no need for rebalancing.
II. Cash flow matching typically earns a higher rate of return than active bond portfolio management.
III. Financial institutions' liabilities often exceed the maturity of available bonds, making cash matching
even more desirable.

A. I only
B. II
only
C. I and III only
D. I, II, and III

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-04 Formulate fixed-income immunization strategies for various investment horizons.
Topic: Passive Bond Management

82. Convexity implies that duration predictions:

I. Underestimate the percentage increase in bond price when the yield falls.
II. Underestimate the percentage decrease in bond price when the yield rises.
III. Overestimate the percentage increase in bond price when the yield falls.
IV. Overestimate the percentage decrease in bond price when the yield rises.

A. I and III only


B. II and IV only
C. I and IV only
D. II and III only

AACSB: Reflective Thinking


Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 11-03 Show how convexity affects the response of bond prices to changes in interest rates.
Topic: Convexity

83. You have a 25-year maturity, 10% coupon, 10% yield bond with a duration of 10 years and a convexity
of 135.5. If the interest rate were to fall 125 basis points, your predicted new price for the bond
(including convexity) is _________.

A. $1,098.45
B. $1,104.56
C. $1,113.41
D. $1,124.22

ΔP/P = -D*(Δy) + .5(Convexity)(Δy)2


D* = D/(1 + y) = 10/1.1 = 9.091
-D*(Δy) = -9.091 × -1.25% = 11.36%
.5(Convexity)(Δy)2 = .5(135.5)(-1.25%)2 = 1.0586%
ΔP/P = = -D*(Δy) + .5(Convexity)(Δy)2 = 11.36% + 1.0586% = 12.42%
Since the bond's coupon rate was equal to its original yield to maturity, the original price was $1,000.
New price = $1,000 × 1.12422 = $1,124.22

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 11-03 Show how convexity affects the response of bond prices to changes in interest rates.
Topic: Convexity

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
84. You have a 15-year maturity, 4% coupon, 6% yield bond with duration of 10.5 years and a convexity of
128.75. The bond is currently priced at $805.76. If the interest rate were to increase 200 basis points,
your predicted new price for the bond (including convexity) is _________.

A. $638.85
B. $642.54
C. $666.88
D. $705.03

ΔP/P = -D*(Δy) + .5(Convexity)(Δy)2


D* = D/(1 + y) = 10.5/1.06 = 9.906
-D*(Δy) = -9.906 × -2% = -19.81%
.5(Convexity)(Δy)2 = .5(128.75)(-2%)2 = 2.575%
ΔP/P = = -D*(Δy) + .5(Convexity)(Δy)2 = -19.81% + 2.575% = -17.235%
New price = $805.76 × (1 - .17236) = $666.88

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 11-03 Show how convexity affects the response of bond prices to changes in interest rates.
Topic: Convexity

85. Convexity of a bond is ___________.

A. the same as horizon analysis


B. the rate of change of the slope of the price-yield curve divided by the bond price
C. a measure of bond duration
D. none of these options

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 11-03 Show how convexity affects the response of bond prices to changes in interest rates.
Topic: Convexity

© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not
authorized for sale or distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated,
forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.

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