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DERIVATIVES MARKETS & RISK MANAGEMENT - QUESTIONS

Dgangster54     11:25:00     0

                                        


QUESTION 1

(a)     A company buys five September sterling futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange at a price of $1.4235. 
Calculate the value of the contract.

Note: Each contract is for a standard amount of £62, 500 in sterling, and the tick size worthy $6.25 ($0.0001/£ x £62, 500).

(b)     Assume that, on 1st November the spot rate of the €/$ was $1.58 and the price on a December futures contract was $1.59. Assume that the euro depreciates over November, so that by 30th November it is worth $1.51.
I.        What do you think would happen to the futures price over the month of November? Why?
II.      If you expected this to occur, would you have purchased or sold a December futures contract on Euro on 1st November? Explain.

QUESTION 2


         On Monday morning, you short one NSE Tshs. Futures contract containing Tshs. 50,000,000 at a price of Kshs. 0.0667. Suppose the broker requires a (initial) Margin account of Kshs. 350,000 and a maintenance margin of Kshs. 300,000. The settlement prices for Monday through Thursday are Kshs. 0.0680, Kshs. 0.0720, Kshs. 0.0650 and Kshs. 0.0640 respectively. On Friday, you close out the contract at a price of Kshs. 0.0652. 
         Calculate the daily cash flows on your account. Describe any margin calls on your account. What is your cash balance with your broker as of the close of business on Friday? Assume that you begin with an initial margin of Kshs. 350,000 and that your round trip commission was Kshs. 10,000.



QUESTION 3


Kwetu Mbalizi plc is a company operating in the USA which imports goods from Gwantwa
Mwakibibi in the UK. Kwetu Mbalizi plc is due to pay £650, 000 to Gwantwa Mwakibibi on 20th February 2017. It is now 12th November 2017.
The following futures contracts (contract size £ 62, 500) are available on the Philadelphia exchange:
     Expiry      Current Futures rate
    December      1.4900$/£     
     March           1.4960$/£

(a)    Illustrate how Kwetu Mbalizi can use futures contracts to reduce the transaction risk if, on 20th February, the sport rate is 1.5030$/£ and March futures are trading at 1.5120$/£. The spot rate on 12 November is 1.4850$/£.
(b)    Calculate the hedge efficiency.
 





QUESTION 4


Show whether the following options are in-the-money or out-of-the money?                     
                                     
(i)                  A call option on 1,000 shares in TBL at a strike price of Tshs.1, 275 when the current share price is Tshs.1, 153.
(ii)                A put option on 2,000 shares in TCC at a strike price Tshs.630 when the current share price is Tshs.680
(iii)               A call option giving its holder the right to borrow Tshs.500, 000, 000 for three months at a LIBOR rate of 4.5% when the current LIBOR rate is 4.75%.
(iv)               A put option giving its holder the right to sell $100, 000 at $1 = Tshs. Tshs. 1200, when the spot exchange rate is $1 = Tshs 1, 180.
(v)                A call option on short dollar interest rate futures at a strike price of 9, 450 when the current market price for the futures is 9, 625.  



(b) The following are prices for traded options in shares of Stanbic bank on October 2007 as shown below.     

                                    Nairobi Traded options
Option                          Calls                                                     Puts
                                    Jan       Apr       July                         Jan       Apr       July
Stanbic 300      30        40        50                              10        15         20
*320                330      20        30        35                               25        30        35
                        360      10         20        -                                 40        45        -

Date 20 October 2007

* Underlying current security price

Notes 
      These option prices are for call options and put options at three different strike prices, 300, 330, and 360 Kenyan Shillings.
      With Nairobi traded options on shares at Nairobi Stock exchange listed companies, each option contract is for 1,000 shares.



Required- 


From the table of option prices above, how much would it cost to buy?
(i)                  Five April calls at a strike price of 330?
(ii)                Four July puts at a strike price of 300?
(iii)               What is the time value of the January puts at 360?








QUESTION 5


Rafiki Financial Consultants plc is an international construction business that is based in the UK. The company expects to receive €10 million in six months’ time as the final payment for a bridge that the company recently completed in Germany.
The senior executives of the company have been debating whether, and if so, how, to hedge against the foreign exchange risk associated with the receipt.

The euro has been falling against the £ sterling in recent months and some commentators believe that this trend will continue. Others believe, however, that the euro is likely to strengthen against the £ sterling in the near future as the euroland economies begin to grow. Faced with this uncertainty, the company is considering three possible options.

(i)                  To take out a currency option to hedge against the risk. An over-the-counter option is available from a bank at an exercise price of £1 = €1·50 and at a premium cost of £1·20 per €100.
(ii)                To take out a forward exchange contract. Exchange rates are:
£/€ spot                  1·4904 – 1·4944 
6 months forward   €0·0095 – 0·0085 premium
(iii)               To do nothing.

 
 

Required:

(a) Show the effect of each of the three options that are being considered, assuming that the exchange rate has moved in six months’ time to:
(i)                  £1          =         €1·55
(ii)                £1         =          €1·45                                                                 (8 marks)
(b)  Discuss the results from (a) above.                                                   (4 marks)
(c)  Briefly outline the main characteristics of currency options and forward exchange contracts and explain the main advantages and disadvantages of each.                  (8 marks)

(Total 20 marks)


QUESTION 6

Gwakisa has recently commenced exports to Kenya, a developing country and a former British colony. A payment of 100 million shillings is due from a customer in Kenya in three months’ time. The Kenyan government sometimes restricts the movement of funds from the country, but has indicated that payment to Gwakisa has a good chance of receiving approval. No forward market or derivatives markets exist for the Kenyan Shilling in her country, but a colonial link between UK and Kenya provides quotation for the pound and KSH respectively.
The Kenyan shilling is currently linked to the US dollar.
Exchange rates:                                                 KSH/£              $/£
Spot rate                                              126·4 – 128·2             1·775 – 1·782
3 month forward rate                            Not available             1·781 – 1·789

Gwakisa can borrow at 6% per annum or invest at 4% per annum in the UK, can borrow at 7% and invest at 4·5% in the USA, and at 14% and 10% respectively in Kenya.
Gwakisa currently has a £800,000 overdraft in the UK.

Inflation rates:
UK = 3%, USA = 4%, and Kenya = 14%
Gwakisa’s Kenyan customer has indicated that it might be willing to make a lead payment in return for a 1·5% discount on the sale price.

Required:
(a) Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the alternative currency hedges (including relevant cross hedges) that are available to Gwakisa. Calculate the expected outcome of each hedge, and recommend which hedge should be selected.               

(12 marks)

(b)   Evaluate whether or not Gwakisa should agree to its Kenyan customer receiving the 1·5%
discount.                                                                       (4 marks)
(c)   Suggest possible action that Gwakisa might take if the government decides not to allow the transfer of money out of Kenya.  (4 marks)

(20 marks)


QUESTION 7

Kimoja Kitamu sana Co is a UK-based company which has the following expected transactions.
One month:                                Expected receipt of $240,000
One month:                                Expected payment of $140,000
Three months:                            Expected receipts of $300,000

The finance manager has collected the following information:
Spot rate ($ per £):                                  1.7820 ± 0.0002
One month forward rate ($ per £):         1.7829 ± 0.0003
Three months forward rate ($ per £):     1.7846 ± 0.0004

Money market rates for Kimoja Kitamu sana Co
Borrowing                     Deposit
One year sterling interest rate: 
 4.9%  

4.6
One year dollar interest rate:      
 5.4% 

 5.1

Assume that it is now 1 April.

Required:

(a)  Discuss the differences between transaction risk, translation risk and economic risk.
(b)  Explain how inflation rates can be used to forecast exchange rates. 

(c)  Calculate the expected sterling receipts in one month and in three months using the forward market. 
(d)  Calculate the expected sterling receipts in three months using a money-market hedge and recommend whether a forward market hedge or a money market hedge should be used.  (e) Discuss how sterling currency futures contracts could be used to hedge the three-month dollar receipt. 


QUESTION 8

(a) Mwanazuoni plc wishes to borrow $10 million in six months time for a threemonth period. It normally borrows from its bank at LIBOR + 0.5%. The current three-month LIBOR rate is 5.25, but the company is worried about the risk of a sharp rise in interest rates in the near future.
A bank quotes FRA rates of:
3 v 6:   5.45 - 5.40%
6 v 9:   5.30 – 5.25%
(i)                  How should the company establish a hedge against its interest rate risk using an FRA?
(ii)                Suppose that at settlement date for the FRA, the LIBOR reference rate is fixed at 6.5%. What will be the effective borrowing rate for the company?

(b) It is early January. EPA a limited company intends to borrow £2 million in May for three months, and is concerned about the risk of rising interest rates. It can borrow at LIBOR plus 1%. 
The current three-month LIBOR rate (spot rate) is 4.625%. June futures for short sterling have a current market price of 95.35.
(i)                  How should a hedge be set up for the exposure to the risk of increase in the three-month LIBOR rate?
(ii)                Suppose that when the company does borrow £2 million in May, threemonth LIBOR is 5.50% and the June futures price is 94.25? Calculate the gain/loss from the interest rate futures contract

QUESTION 9

It is now March. Wajanja sisi plc has recognized from its short-term cash budgets that it is likely to have a surplus of £10 million arising in 2 months time (May) for a period of three months, which it plans to invest in short-term money market instruments. It is concerned that interest rates in the next 2 months may fall and wishes to hedge this risk using futures contract.
June three-month sterling interest rate futures contracts are available with a contract size of £500, 000. They are currently priced at 96.00. Interest rates currently stand at 4%.
  

Required:

Illustrate how Wajanja sisi plc can hedge its interest rate exposure using the above futures contracts if, in 2 months time, market interest rates have fallen to 3% and the futures price has moved to 97.00

QUESTION 10

A company expects to borrow £4 million in two months time for a six month-period, and is thinking of using a borrower’s option to hedge its risk. It is worried about the risk of an increase in the three-month LIBOR rate, which is currently 5% per annum. It can borrow at LIBOR plus 1%.
It normally buys a borrower’s option at a strike rate of 5.25%, which has a premium cost of £8,000. The option is for an expiry date in two months, and the notional interest period is sixmonths and the notional principal is £4 million.
Suppose that at expiry, the six-month LIBOR is 6%. 

Required: 

Will the company exercise the option? How will a hedge be constructed?
 

QUESTION 11

Yote Heri and Maisha safari  face the following interest rates (adjusted for the differential impact of taxes)
                                     
            Yote Heri

Maisha Safari
US dollars (floating rate):
            LIBOR + 0.5%

LIBOR + 1.0%
Canadian dollars (Fixed rate):
              5.0% 

6.5%



Assume that Yote Heri wants to borrow US dollars at a floating rate of interest and Maisha Safari wants to borrow Canadian dollars at a fixed rate of interest. A financial Institution is planning to arrange a swap and requires a 50-basis-point spread. If the swap is equally attractive to Yote Heri and Maisha Safari, what rates of interest will Yote Heri and Maisha Safari end up paying?
 

QUESTION 12

Dogodogo plc wishes to borrow US dollars at a fixed rate of interest. Sisi kwa Sisi plc wishes to borrow Japanese yen at a fixed rate of interest. The amounts required by the two companies are roughly the same at the current exchange rate. The companies have been quoted the following interest rates, which have been adjusted for the impact of taxes:
             




Yen


Dollars
Dogodogo plc:




5.0%


9.6%
Sisi kwa Sisi:




6.5%


10.0%

Required:

Design a swap that will net a bank, acting as intermediary, 50 basis points per annum. Make the swap equally attractive to the two companies and ensure that all foreign exchange risk is assumed by the bank.
     


Question 13

Differentiate and briefly explain the following terms as used in derivative markets
a)      Futures contract Vs Forward contract
b)      Futures contract Vs Option contract
c)      Ticks, Interest rate futures, Variation Margin Vs Initial Margin
d)      Call option Vs Put option, Intrinsic value Vs Time value
e)      American option Vs European option
f)        Interest rate option, Swaptions, Interest rate cap, Interest rate Floor and Interest rate collar options.
g)      Forward Rate Agreements (FRAs) Vs Forward Forwards
h)      Currency Swaps Vs Interest rate swaps
i)        Credit risk, Market risk and Sovereign Risk




Credit - Erick Lusekelo Mwambuli (Lecturer- Faculty of Accounting, Banking and Finance)

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