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Fundamentals of Multinational Finance, 6e (Moffett et al.)
Chapter 6 International Parity Conditions
6.1 Prices and Exchange Rates
1) If an identical product can be sold in two different markets, and no restrictions exist on the
sale or transportation of product between markets, the product's price should be the same in both
markets. This is known as:
A) relative purchasing power parity.
B) interest rate parity.
C) the law of one price.
D) equilibrium.
2) The Economist publishes annually the "Big Mac Index" by which they compare the prices of
the McDonald's Corporation's Big Mac hamburger around the world. The index estimates the
exchange rates for currencies based on the assumption that the burgers in question are the same
across the world and therefore, the price should be the same. If a Big Mac costs $2.54 in the
United States and 294 yen in Japan, what is the estimated exchange rate of yen per dollar as
hypothesized by the Hamburger index?
A) $0.0086/¥
B) ¥124/$
C) $0.0081/¥
D) ¥115.75/$
3) If the current exchange rate is 113 Japanese yen per U.S. dollar, the price of a Big Mac
hamburger in the United States is $3.41, and the price of a Big Mac hamburger in Japan is 280
yen, then other things equal, the Big Mac hamburger in Japan is:
A) correctly priced.
B) under priced.
C) over priced.
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4) The price of a Big Mac in the U.S. is $3.41 and the price in Mexico is Peso 29.0. What is the
implied PPP of the Peso per dollar?
A) Peso 8.50/$1
B) Peso 10.8/$1
C) Peso 11.76/$1
D) None of the above
5) Assume the implied PPP rate of exchange of Mexican Pesos per U.S. dollar is 8.50 according
to the Big Mac Index. Further, assume the current exchange rate is Peso 10.80/$1. Thus,
according to PPP and the Law of One Price, at the current exchange rate the peso is:
A) overvalued.
B) undervalued.
C) correctly valued.
D) There is not enough information to answer this question.
6) According to the Big Mac Index, the implied PPP exchange rate is Mexican peso 8.50/$1 but
the actual exchange rate is peso 10.80/$1. Thus, at current exchange rates the peso appears to be
________ by ________.
A) overvalued; approximately 21%
B) overvalued; approximately 27%
C) undervalued; approximately 21%
D) undervalued; approximately 27%
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7) Other things equal, and assuming efficient markets, if a Honda Accord costs $24,682 in the
U.S., then at an exchange rate of $1.57/£, the Honda Accord should cost ________ in Great
Britain.
A) £24,682
B) £38,751
C) £10,795
8) One year ago the spot rate of U.S. dollars for Canadian dollars was $1/C$1. Since that time
the rate of inflation in the U.S. has been 4% greater than that in Canada. Based on the theory of
Relative PPP, the current spot exchange rate of U.S. dollars for Canadian dollars should be
approximately:
A) $0.96/C$.
B) $1/C$.
C) $1.04/C$.
D) Relative PPP provides no guide for this type of question.
9) ________ states that differential rates of inflation between two countries tend to be offset over
time by an equal but opposite change in the spot exchange rate.
A) The Fisher Effect
B) The International Fisher Effect
C) Absolute Purchasing Power Parity
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10) Two general conclusions can be made from the empirical tests of purchasing power parity
(PPP):
A) PPP holds up well over the short run but poorly for the long run, and the theory holds better
for countries with relatively low rates of inflation.
B) PPP holds up well over the short run but poorly for the long run, and the theory holds better
for countries with relatively high rates of inflation.
C) PPP holds up well over the long run but poorly for the short run, and the theory holds better
for countries with relatively low rates of inflation.
D) PPP holds up well over the long run but poorly for the short run, and the theory holds better
for countries with relatively high rates of inflation.
11) A country's currency that strengthened relative to another country's currency by more than
that justified by the differential in inflation is said to be ________ in terms of PPP.
A) overvalued
B) over compensating
C) undervalued
D) under compensating
12) If we set the real effective exchange rate index between Canada and the United States equal
to 100 in 1998, and find that the U.S. dollar has risen to a value of 112.6, then from a
competitive perspective the U.S. dollar is:
A) overvalued.
B) undervalued.
C) very competitive.
D) There is not enough information to answer this question.
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13) If we set the real effective exchange rate index between the United Kingdom and the United
States equal to 100 in 2005, and find that the U.S. dollar has changed to a value of 91.4, then
from a competitive perspective the U.S. dollar is:
A) overvalued.
B) undervalued.
C) equally valued.
D) There is not enough information to answer this question.
14) The government just released international exchange rate statistics and reported that the real
effective exchange rate index for the U.S. dollar vs the Japanese yen decreased from 105 last year
to 95 currently and is expected to fall still further in the coming year. Other things equal U.S.
________ to/from Japan think this is good news and U.S. ________ to/from Japan think this is
bad news.
A) importers; exporters
B) importers; importers
C) exporters; exporters
D) exporters; importers
15) Exchange rate pass-through may be defined as:
A) the bid/ask spread on currency exchange rate transactions.
B) the degree to which the prices of imported and exported goods change as a result of exchange
rate changes.
C) the PPP of lesser-developed countries.
D) the practice by Great Britain of maintaining the relative strength of the currencies of the
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16) Phillips NV produces DVD players and exports them to the United States. Last year the
exchange rate was $1.25/euro and Phillips charged 120 euro per player in Euroland and $150 per
DVD player in the United States. Currently the spot exchange rate is $1.45/euro and Phillips is
charging $160 per DVD player. What is the degree of pass through by Phillips NV on their DVD
players?
A) 92%
B) 33.3%
C) 41.7%
D) 4.1%
17) Jaguar has full manufacturing costs of their S-type sedan of £22,803. They sell the S-type in
the UK with a 20% margin for a price of £27,363. Today these cars are available in the US for
$55,000 which is the UK price multiplied by the current exchange rate of $2.01/£. Jaguar has
committed to keeping the US price at $55,000 for the next six months. If the UK pound
appreciates against the USD to an exchange rate of $2.15/£, and Jaguar has not hedged against
currency changes, what is the amount the company will receive in pounds at the new exchange
rate?
A) £22,803
B) £25,581
C) £27,363
D) £55,000
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18) Jaguar has full manufacturing costs of their S-type sedan of £22,803. They sell the S-type in
the UK with a 20% margin for a price of £27,363. Today these cars are available in the US for
$55,000 which is the UK price multiplied by the current exchange rate of $2.01/£. Jaguar has
committed to keeping the US price at $55,000 for the next six months. If the UK pound
appreciates against the USD to an exchange rate of $2.15/£, and Jaguar has not hedged against
currency changes, what is the percentage margin the company will realize given the new
exchange rate?
A) 20.0%
B) 15.3%
C) 12.2%
D) 7.2%
19) The price elasticity of demand for DVD players manufactured by Sony of Japan is greater
than one. If the Japanese yen appreciates against the U.S. dollar by 10% and the price of the
Sony DVD players in the U.S also rises by 10%, then other things equal, the total dollar sales
revenues of Sony DVDs would:
A) decline.
B) increase.
C) stay the same.
D) insufficient information
20) If a market basket of goods cost $100 is the US and €70 in France, then the PPP exchange
rate would be $.70/€.
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21) The assumptions for relative PPP are more rigid than the assumptions for absolute PPP.
22) Empirical tests prove that PPP is an accurate predictor of future exchange rates.
23) Consider the price elasticity of demand. If a product has price elasticity less than one it is
considered to have relatively elastic demand.
24) The authors state that empirical tests of purchasing power parity "have, for the most part, not
proved PPP to be accurate in predicting future exchange rates." The authors then state that PPP
does hold up reasonably well in two situations. What are some reasons why PPP does not
accurately predict future exchange rates, and under what conditions might we reasonably expect
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25) The Big Mac is considered a good candidate for the application of the law of one price and
measurement of under or overvaluation of a currency. Develop an argument as to why this is a
26) Explain the logic behind the application of the PPP theory to explain changes in the spot
exchange rate.
6.2 Interest Rates and Exchange Rates
1) ________ states that nominal interest rates in each country are equal to the required real rate
of return plus compensation for expected inflation.
A) Absolute PPP
B) Relative PPP
C) The Law of One Price
D) The Fisher Effect
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2) In its approximate form the Fisher effect may be written as ________. Where: i = the nominal
rate of interest, r = the real rate of return and π = the expected rate of inflation.
A) i = (r)(π)
B) i = r + π + (r)(π)
C) i = r + π
D) i = r + 2π
3) Assume a nominal interest rate on one-year U.S. Treasury Bills of 2.60% and a real rate of
interest of 1.00%. Using the Fisher Effect Equation, what is the approximate expected rate of
inflation in the U.S. over the next year?
A) 2.10%
B) 2.05%
C) 1.60%
D) 1.00%
4) Assume a nominal interest rate on one-year U.S. Treasury Bills of 3.80% and a real rate of
interest of 2.00%. Using the Fisher Effect Equation, what is the exact expected rate of inflation
in the U.S. over the next year?
A) 1.84%
B) 1.80%
C) 1.76%
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5) The relationship between the percentage change in the spot exchange rate over time and the
differential between comparable interest rates in different national capital markets is known as:
A) absolute PPP.
B) the law of one price.
C) relative PPP.
D) the international Fisher Effect.
6) According to the international Fisher Effect, if an investor purchases a five-year U.S. bond
that has an annual interest rate of 5% rather than a comparable British bond that has an annual
interest rate of 6%, then the investor must be expecting the ________ to ________ at a rate of at
least 1% per year over the next 5 years.
A) British pound; appreciate
B) British pound; revalue
C) U.S. dollar; appreciate
D) U.S. dollar; depreciate
7) ________ states that the spot exchange rate should change in an equal amount but in the
opposite direction to the difference in interest rates between two countries.
A) Fisher-open
B) Fisher-closed
C) The Fisher Effect
D) none of the above
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8) A ________ is an exchange rate quoted today for settlement at some time in the future.
A) spot rate
B) forward rate
C) currency rate
D) yield curve
9) Assume the current U.S. dollar-British spot rate is 0.6993£/$. If the current nominal one-year
interest rate in the U.S. is 5% and the comparable rate in Britain is 6%, what is the approximate
forward exchange rate for 360 days?
A) £1.42/$
B) £1.43/$
C) £0.6993/$
D) £0.7060/$
10) Assume the current U.S. dollar-yen spot rate is 90 ¥/$. Further, the current nominal 180-day
rate of return in Japan is 1% and 2% in the United States. What is the approximate forward
exchange rate for 180 days?
A) ¥89.12/$
B) ¥89.55/$
C) ¥90.89/$
D) ¥90.45/$
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11) The current U.S. dollar-yen spot rate is 125¥/$. If the 90-day forward exchange rate is 127
¥/$ then the yen is selling at a per annum ________ of ________.
A) premium; 1.57%
B) premium; 6.30%
C) discount; 1.57%
D) discount; 6.30%
12) The forward rate is calculated from all the following observable data items EXCEPT:
A) the forecast of the future spot exchange rate
B) the home currency deposit rate
C) the foreign currency deposit rate
D) the spot exchange rate
13) The theory of ________ states that the difference in the national interest rates for securities
of similar risk and maturity should be equal to but opposite in sign to the forward rate discount or
premium for the foreign currency, except for transaction costs.
A) international Fisher Effect
B) absolute PPP
C) interest rate parity
D) the law of one price
14) With covered interest arbitrage:
A) the market must be out of equilibrium.
B) a "riskless" arbitrage opportunity exists.
C) the arbitrageur trades in both the spot and future currency exchange markets.
D) all of the above
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15) Arbitragers applying Covered Interest Arbitrage drive the international currency and money
markets toward the equilibrium described by:
A) the effective exchange rate index.
B) the purchasing power parity.
C) the nominal effective exchange rate index.
D) the interest rate parity.
16) Covered interest arbitrage moves the market ________ equilibrium because ________.
A) toward; purchasing a currency on the spot market and selling in the forward market narrows
the differential between the two
B) toward; investors are now more willing to invest in risky securities
C) away from; purchasing a currency on the spot market and selling in the forward market
increases the differential between the two
D) away from; demand for the stronger currency forces up interest rates on the weaker security
17) The final component of the equation for the Fisher Effect, (r)(π), where r = the real rate of
return and π = the expected rate of inflation, is often dropped from the equation because the
number is simply too large for most Western economies.
18) Empirical studies show that the Fisher Effect works best for short-term securities.
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19) The current U.S. dollar-yen spot rate is ¥125/$. If the 90-day forward exchange rate is
¥127/$ then the yen is at a forward premium.
20) The premium or discount on forward currency exchange rates between any two countries is
visually obvious when you plot the interest rates of each country on the same yield curve. The
currency of the country with the higher yield curve should be selling at a forward discount.
21) Use interest rate parity to answer this question. A U.S. investor has a choice between a risk-
free one-year U.S. security with an annual return of 4%, and a comparable British security with a
return of 5%. If the spot rate is $1.43/£, the forward rate is $1.44/£, and there are no transaction
costs, the investor should invest in the U.S. security.
22) Both covered and uncovered interest arbitrage are risky operations in the sense that even
without default in the securities, the returns are unknown until all transactions are complete.
23) All that is required for a covered interest arbitrage profit is for interest rate parity to not hold.
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24) COVERED interest arbitrage (CIA), is where investors borrow in countries and currencies
exhibiting relatively low interest rates and convert the proceeds into currencies that offer much
higher interest rates. The transaction is "covered," because the investor does not sell the higher
yielding currency proceeds forward.
25) The authors describe an application of uncovered interest arbitrage (UIA) known as "yen
carry trade." Define UIA and describe the example of yen carry trade. Why would an investor
engage in the practice of yen carry trade and is there any risk of loss or lesser profit from this
26) The Fisher Effect is a familiar economic theory in the domestic market. In words, define the
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6.3 Forward Rate as an Unbiased Predictor of the Future Spot Rate
1) If the forward rate is an unbiased predictor of the expected spot rate, which of the following is
NOT true?
A) The expected value of the future spot rate at time 2 equals the present forward rate for time 2
delivery, available now.
B) The distribution of possible actual spot rates in the future is centered on the forward rate.
C) The future spot rate will actually be equal to what the forward rate predicts.
D) All of the above are true.
2) Which of the following is NOT an assumption of market efficiency?
A) Instruments denominated in other currencies are perfect substitutes for one another.
B) Transaction costs are low or nonexistent.
C) All relevant information is quickly reflected in both spot and forward exchange markets.
3) Empirical tests have yielded ________ evidence about market efficiency with a general
consensus that developing foreign markets are ________.
A) conflicting; not efficient
B) conflicting; efficient
C) consistent; inefficient
D) none of the above
4) If exchange markets were not efficient, it would pay for a firm to spend resources on
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5) If the forward exchange rate is an unbiased predictor of future spot rates, then future spot rates
will always be equal to current forward rates.
6) If exchange markets were efficient, the deviation of the actual future quote and today's
forward rate will be zero.
7) Some forecasters believe that foreign exchange markets for the major floating currencies are
"efficient" and forward exchange rates are unbiased predictors of future spot exchange rates.
Explain the rationale of this statement including the assumptions made, the meaning of
"efficient" and "unbiased", and the empirical evidence.
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6.4 Prices, Interest Rates, and Exchange Rates in Equilibrium
1) According to the International Fisher Effect, the forecast change in the spot rate between two
countries is equal to:
A) the current spot rate multiplied by the ratio of the inflation rates in the respective countries.
B) but the opposite sign to the difference between nominal interest rates.
C) but the opposite sign to the difference between inflation rates.
D) but the opposite sign to the difference between real interest rates.
2) In their approximate form, PPP, IRP, and forward rates as an unbiased predictor of the future
spot rate lead to similar forecasts of the future spot rate.
