Business Finance quiz questions

a. If the Federal Reserve unexpectedly announces that it expects inflation to increase, then we would probably observe an immediate increase in bond prices.
b. The total yield on a bond is derived from dividends plus changes in the price of the bond.
c. Bonds are generally regarded as being riskier than common stocks, and therefore bonds have higher required returns.
d. Bonds issued by larger companies always have lower yields to maturity (due to less risk) than bonds issued by smaller companies.
e. The market price of a bond will always approach its par value as its maturity date approaches, provided the bond’s required return remains constant.

a. If a coupon bond is selling at par, its current yield equals its yield to maturity.
b. If rates fall after its issue, a zero coupon bond could trade at a price above its maturity (or par) value.
c. If rates fall rapidly, a zero coupon bond’s expected appreciation could become negative.
d. If a firm moves from a position of strength toward financial distress, its bonds’ yield to maturity would probably decline.
e. If a bond is selling at a premium, this implies that its yield to maturity exceeds its coupon rate.

a. If the bonds’ market interest rate remains at 10%, Bond Z’s price will be lower one year from now than it is today.
b. Bond X has the greatest reinvestment risk.
c. If market interest rates decline, the prices of all three bonds will increase, but Z’s price will have the largest percentage increase.
d. If market interest rates remain at 10%, Bond Z’s price will be 10% higher one year from today.
e. If market interest rates increase, Bond X’s price will increase, Bond Z’s price will decline, and Bond Y’s price will remain the same.

a. If the yield to maturity on each bond decreases to 6%, Bond A will have the largest percentage increase in its price.
b. Bond A has the most price risk.
c. If the yield to maturity on the three bonds remains constant, the prices of the three bonds will remain the same over the next year.
d. If the yield to maturity on each bond increases to 8%, the prices of all three bonds will decline.
e. Bond C sells at a premium over its par value.

a. 10-year, zero coupon bonds have more reinvestment risk than 10-year, 10% coupon bonds.
b. A 10-year, 10% coupon bond has less reinvestment risk than a 10-year, 5% coupon bond (assuming all else equal).
c. The total (rate of) return on a bond during a given year is the sum of the coupon interest payments received during the year and the change in the value of the bond from the beginning to the end of the year, divided by the bond’s price at the beginning of the year.
d. The price of a 20-year, 10% bond is less sensitive to changes in interest rates than the price of a 5-year, 10% bond.
e. A $1,000 bond with $100 annual interest payments that has 5 years to maturity and is not expected to default would sell at a discount if interest rates were below 9% and at a premium if interest rates were greater than 11%.

a. The yield to maturity for a coupon bond that sells at a premium consists entirely of a positive capital gains yield; it has a zero current interest yield.
b. The market value of a bond will always approach its par value as its maturity date approaches. This holds true even if the firm has filed for bankruptcy.
c. Rising inflation makes the actual yield to maturity on a bond greater than a quoted yield to maturity that is based on market prices.
d. The yield to maturity on a coupon bond that sells at its par value consists entirely of a current interest yield; it has a zero expected capital gains yield.
e. The expected capital gains yield on a bond will always be zero or positive because no investor would purchase a bond with an expected capital loss.

a. If a coupon bond is selling at a premium, then the bond’s current yield is zero.
b. If a coupon bond is selling at a discount, then the bond’s expected capital gains yield is negative.
c. If a bond is selling at a discount, the yield to call is a better measure of the expected return than the yield to maturity.
d. The current yield on Bond A exceeds the current yield on Bond B. Therefore, Bond A must have a higher yield to maturity than Bond B.
e. If a coupon bond is selling at par, its current yield equals its yield to maturity.

a. If two bonds have the same maturity, the same yield to maturity, and the same level of risk, the bonds should sell for the same price regardless of their coupon rates.
b. All else equal, an increase in interest rates will have a greater effect on the prices of short-term than long-term bonds.
c. All else equal, an increase in interest rates will have a greater effect on higher-coupon bonds than it will have on lower-coupon bonds.
d. If a bond’s yield to maturity exceeds its coupon rate, the bond’s price must be less than its maturity value.
e. If a bond’s yield to maturity exceeds its coupon rate, the bond’s current yield must be less than its coupon rate.

a. Bond A’s capital gains yield is greater than Bond B’s capital gains yield.
b. Bond A trades at a discount, whereas Bond B trades at a premium.
c. If the yield to maturity for both bonds remains at 8%, Bond A’s price one year from now will be higher than it is today, but Bond B’s price one year from now will be lower than it is today.
d. If the yield to maturity for both bonds immediately decreases to 6%, Bond A’s bond will have a larger percentage increase in value.
e. Bond A’s current yield is greater than that of Bond B.

a. Two bonds have the same maturity and the same coupon rate. However, one is callable and the other is not. The difference in prices between the bonds will be greater if the current market interest rate is below the coupon rate than if it is above the coupon rate.
b. A callable 10-year, 10% bond should sell at a higher price than an otherwise similar noncallable bond.
c. Corporate treasurers dislike issuing callable bonds because these bonds may require the company to raise additional funds earlier than would be true if noncallable bonds with the same maturity were used.
d. Two bonds have the same maturity and the same coupon rate. However, one is callable and the other is not. The difference in prices between the bonds will be greater if the current market interest rate is above the coupon rate than if it is below the coupon rate.
e. The actual life of a callable bond will always be equal to or less than the actual life of a noncallable bond with the same maturity. Therefore, if the yield curve is upward sloping, the required rate of return will be lower on the callable bond.

a. If the Federal Reserve unexpectedly announces that it expects inflation to increase, then we would probably observe an immediate decrease in bond prices.
b. The total yield on a bond is derived from dividends plus changes in the price of the bond.
c. Bonds are generally regarded as being riskier than common stocks, and therefore bonds have higher required returns.
d. Bonds issued by larger companies always have lower yields to maturity (due to less risk) than bonds issued by smaller companies.
e. The market price of a bond will always approach its par value as its maturity date approaches, provided the bond’s required return remains constant.