Chapter 3—Structure of Interest Rates
1. In general, securities with ____ characteristics will offer ____ yields.
a.
favorable; higher
b.
favorable; lower
c.
unfavorable; lower
d.
none of the above
2. Default risk is likely to be highest for
a.
short-term Treasury securities.
b.
AAA corporate securities.
c.
long-term Treasury securities.
d.
BBB corporate securities.
3. Some financial institutions such as commercial banks are required by law to invest only in
a.
junk bonds.
b.
corporate stock.
c.
Treasury securities.
d.
investment-grade bonds.
4. Credit ratings are most commonly used to indicate which financial institutions have available funds
that they can lend to borrowers.
a. True
b. False
5. If a security can easily be converted to cash without a loss in value, it
a.
is liquid.
b.
has a high after-tax yield.
c.
has high default risk.
d.
is illiquid.
6. Securities that offer ____ liquidity will need to offer a ____ yield.
a.
lower; higher
b.
lower; lower
c.
higher; higher
d.
B and C
7. If all other characteristics are similar, ____ would have to offer ____.
a.
taxable securities; a higher after-tax yield than tax-exempt securities
b.
taxable securities; a higher before-tax yield than tax-exempt securities
c.
tax-exempt securities; a higher after-tax yield than taxable securities
d.
tax-exempt securities; a higher before-tax yield than taxable securities
8. Assume an investor’s tax rate is 25 percent. The before-tax yield on a security is 12 percent. What is
the after-tax yield?
a.
16.00 percent
b.
9.25 percent
c.
9.00 percent
d.
3.00 percent
e.
none of the above
9. An investor’s tax rate is 30 percent. What must the before-tax yield on a security be to have an
after-tax yield of 11 percent?
a.
7.7 percent
b.
15.71 percent
c.
130 percent
d.
11.00 percent
e.
none of the above
10. A firm in the 35 percent tax bracket is aware of a tax-exempt security that is paying a yield of 7
percent. To match this yield, taxable securities must offer a before-tax yield of
a.
7.0 percent.
b.
10.8 percent.
c.
20.0 percent.
d.
none of the above
11. Holding other factors such as risk constant, the relationship between the maturity and annualized yield
of securities is called the
a.
term structure of interest rates.
b.
default structure of interest rates.
c.
liquidity structure of interest rates.
d.
tax structure of interest rates.
e.
none of the above
12. The term structure of interest rates defines the relationship
a.
between risk and return.
b.
between risk and maturity.
c.
between maturity and yield.
d.
between default risk ratings and maturity.
13. Interest income from municipal bonds is exempt from state taxes but is subject to federal taxes.
a. True
b. False
14. If shorter term securities have higher annualized yields than longer term securities, the yield curve
a.
is horizontal.
b.
is upward sloping.
c.
is downward sloping.
d.
cannot be determined unless we know additional information (such as the level of market
interest rates).
15. Assume that annualized yields of short-term and long-term securities are equal. If investors suddenly
believe interest rates will increase, their actions may cause the yield curve to
a.
become inverted.
b.
become flat.
c.
become upward sloping.
d.
be unaffected.
16. If issuers of securities (borrowers) and investors suddenly expect interest rates to decrease, their
actions to benefit from their expectations should cause
a.
long-term yields to rise.
b.
short-term yields to decrease.
c.
prices of long-term securities to decrease.
d.
A and B
e.
none of the above
17. Within the category of capital market securities, municipal bonds have the ____ before-tax yield, and
their after-tax yield is typically ____ of Treasury bonds from the perspective of investors in high tax
brackets.
a.
highest; below that
b.
lowest; above that
c.
highest; above that
d.
lowest; below that
18. The yield offered on a debt security is ____ related to the prevailing risk-free rate and ____ related to
the security’s risk premium.
a.
negatively; negatively
b.
positively; positively
c.
negatively; positively
d.
positively; negatively
19. The theory for the term structure of interest rates that says the shape of the yield curve is determined
solely by expectations of future interest rates is called the
a.
segmented markets theory.
b.
liquidity premium theory.
c.
pure expectations theory.
d.
theory of rational expectations.
20. Assume investors are indifferent among security maturities. Today, the annualized 2-year interest rate
is 12 percent, and the 1-year interest rate is 9 percent. What is the forward rate according to the pure
expectations theory?
a.
15.08 percent
b.
3.00 percent
c.
12.00 percent
d.
12.62 percent
e.
11.41 percent
21. Assume the yield curve is flat. If investors flood the short-term market and avoid the long-term
market, they may cause the yield curve to
a.
remain flat.
b.
become upward sloping.
c.
become downward sloping.
d.
none of the above
22. According to pure expectations theory, if interest rates are expected to decrease, there will be ____
pressure on the demand for short-term funds by borrowers and ____ pressure on the demand for
long-term funds issued by borrowers.
a.
upward; upward
b.
downward; downward
c.
upward; downward
d.
downward; upward
23. The degree to which the Treasury’s debt management policy could affect the term structure of interest
rates is greatest if
a.
most debt is financed by foreign investors.
b.
the Treasury’s debt level is small.
c.
maturity markets are segmented.
d.
A and B
24. According to the pure expectations theory of the term structure of interest rates, the ____ the
difference between the implied one-year forward rate and today’s one-year interest rate, the ____ is the
expected change in the one-year interest rate.
a.
greater; less
b.
less; greater
c.
greater; greater
d.
less; less
e.
C and D
25. Assume that today, the annualized two-year interest rate is 12 percent, and the one-year interest rate is
9 percent. A three-year security has an annualized interest rate of 14 percent. What is the one-year
forward rate two years from now?
a.
12.67 percent
b.
113 percent
c.
195 percent
d.
15.67 percent
e.
none of the above
26. Assume that a yield curve is influenced by interest rate expectations and a liquidity premium. Assume
the yield curve is initially flat. If liquidity suddenly was no longer important, the yield curve would
now have a ____ (assuming no other changes).
a.
slight downward slope
b.
slight upward slope
c.
steep upward slope
d.
steep downward slope
27. According to the liquidity premium theory, the expected yield on a two-year security will ____ the
expected yield from consecutive investments in one-year securities.
a.
equal
b.
be less than
c.
be greater than
d.
B and C are possible, depending on the size of the liquidity premium
28. Assume that the current yield on one-year securities is 6 percent, and that the yield on a two-year
security is 7 percent. If the liquidity premium on a two-year security is 0.4 percent, then the one-year
forward rate is
a.
8.0 percent.
b.
7.6 percent.
c.
3.0 percent.
d.
7.0 percent.
29. If liquidity influences the yield curve, but is not considered when deriving the forward interest rate, the
forward interest rate ____ the market’s expectation of the future interest rate.
a.
overestimates
b.
accurately estimates
c.
underestimates
d.
is an unbiased forecast of (it has an equal chance of overestimating or underestimating)
30. If the liquidity premium exists, a flat yield curve would be interpreted as the market expecting ____ in
interest rates.
a.
no changes
b.
a slight decrease
c.
a slight increase
d.
a large increase
31. The theory of the term structure of interest rates, which states that investors and borrowers choose
securities with maturities that satisfy their forecasted cash needs, is the
a.
pure expectations theory.
b.
liquidity premium theory.
c.
segmented markets theory.
d.
liquidity habitat theory.
32. According to the segmented markets theory, if most investors suddenly preferred to invest in
short-term securities and most borrowers suddenly preferred to issue long-term securities there would
be
a.
upward pressure on the price of long-term securities.
b.
upward pressure on the price of short-term securities.
c.
downward pressure on the yield of long-term securities.
d.
A and C
33. A theory states that while investors and borrowers may normally concentrate on a particular natural
maturity market, conditions may cause them to change maturity markets. This theory is called the
a.
liquidity premium theory.
b.
efficient markets theory.
c.
pure expectations theory.
d.
preferred habitat theory.
34. According to segmented markets theory, if investors have mostly short-term funds available and
borrowers want long-term funds, there would be ____ pressure on the supply of short-term funds
provided by investors and ____ pressure on the yield of long-term securities.
a.
upward; upward
b.
downward; downward
c.
upward; downward
d.
downward; upward
35. If a yield curve is upward sloping, the investment strategy of buying long-term securities, then selling
them after a short period (say, one year) is called
a.
riding the yield curve.
b.
liquidating the yield curve.
c.
segmenting the yield curve.
d.
a forward roll.
e.
none of the above
36. Other things equal, the yield required on A-rated bonds should be ____ the yield required on B-rated
bonds whose other characteristics are exactly the same.
a.
greater than
b.
equal to
c.
less than
d.
All of the above are possible, depending on the size of the bond offering.
37. Assume that the Treasury bond yield today is 2% higher than it was one year ago. Also assume that the
credit (default) risk premium of an A-rated bond declined by 0.4% since one year ago. A newly issued
A-rated bond will likely offer a yield today that is ____ the yield that was offered on an A-rated bond
issued one year ago.
a.
greater than
b.
equal to
c.
less than
d.
A or B are both common
38. In some time periods there is evidence that corporations initially financed long-term projects with
short-term funds. They planned to borrow long-term funds once interest rates were lower. This
specifically supports the ____ for explaining the term structure of interest rates.
a.
liquidity premium theory
b.
expectations theory
c.
segmented markets theory
d.
A and C
39. According to expectations theory, the sudden expectation of lower interest rates in the future will
cause a ____ supply of short-term funds provided by investors, and a ____ supply of long-term funds.
a.
large; large
b.
large; small
c.
small; small
d.
small; large
40. The yield curve in a foreign country is
a.
always downward sloping.
b.
non-existent.
c.
the same as the United States at any point in time.
d.
none of the above
41. If research showed that anticipation about future interest rates was the only important factor for all
investors in choosing short-term or long-term securities, this would support the argument made by the
a.
liquidity premium theory.
b.
expectations theory.
c.
segmented markets theory.
d.
A and B
42. If research showed that all investors attempt to purchase securities that perfectly match their time in
which they will have available funds, this would specifically support the argument made by the
a.
liquidity premium theory.
b.
real interest rate theory.
c.
expectations theory.
d.
segmented markets theory.
43. If the Treasury uses a relatively large proportion of ____ debt to finance the deficit, this may place
upward pressure on ____ interest rates, and corporations may reduce their investment in fixed assets.
a.
long-term; long-term
b.
long-term; short-term
c.
short-term; long-term
d.
B and C
44. You are considering the purchase of a tax-exempt security that is paying a yield of 10.08 percent. You
are in the 28 percent tax bracket. To match this after-tax yield, you would consider taxable securities
that pay
a.
31.1 percent.
b.
19 percent.
c.
12.5 percent.
d.
14 percent.
45. The annualized yield on a three-year security is 13 percent; the annualized two-year interest rate is 12
percent, while the one-year interest rate is 9 percent. The forward rate one-year ahead is ____ percent.
a.
2.8
b.
115
c.
103
d.
15.1
46. The annualized yield on a three-year security is 13 percent; the annualized two-year interest rate is 12
percent, while the one-year interest rate is 9 percent. The forward rate two years ahead is ____ percent.
a.
1.8
b.
9.0
c.
15.0
d.
none of the above
47. According to segmented markets theory, if investors have mostly long-term funds available and
borrowers want short-term funds, this will place ____ pressure on the demand for long-term funds
issued by borrowers and the yield curve will be ____ sloping.
a.
upward; downward
b.
downward; upward
c.
upward; upward
d.
downward; downward
48. An upward-sloping yield curve indicates that Treasury securities with ____ maturities offer ____
annualized yields.
a.
longer; lower
b.
longer; higher
c.
shorter; lower
d.
shorter; higher
e.
B and C
49. Assume that the Treasury experiences a large decrease in the budget deficit and purchases a large
number of T-bills. This action will ____ the supply of T-bills in the market and places ____ pressure
on the yield of T-bills.
a.
decrease; downward
b.
decrease; upward
c.
increase; upward
d.
increase; downward
50. Vaughn Corporation is considering the issue of commercial paper and would like to know the yield it
should offer on its commercial paper. The corporation believes that a 0.2 percent default risk premium,
a 0.1 percent liquidity premium, and a 0.3 percent tax adjustment are necessary to sell its commercial
paper to investors. Furthermore, annualized T-bill rates are 7 percent. Based on this information,
Vaughn should offer ____ percent on its commercial paper.
a.
8.0
b.
7.6
c.
7.5
d.
7.9
e.
none of the above
51. If liquidity influences the yield curve, the forward rate underestimates the market’s expectation of the
future interest rate.
a. True
b. False
52. The yield curve for corporate bonds.
a.
would typically lie below the Treasury yield curve.
b.
is identical to the Treasury yield curve.
c.
typically has the same slope as the Treasury yield curve.
d.
is irrelevant to investors.
53. Some types of debt securities always offer a higher yield than others.
a. True
b. False
54. Investors will always prefer the purchase of risk-free Treasury securities, since other securities have a
higher level of risk.
a. True
b. False
55. The higher a bond rating, the lower the perceived default risk.
a. True
b. False
56. Treasury securities are exempt from federal and state income taxes.
a. True
b. False
57. The term structure of interest rates defines the relationship between maturity and annualized yield,
holding other factors such as risk constant.
a. True
b. False
58. The graphic comparison of maturities and annualized yields is known as the interest rate curve.
a. True
b. False
59. According to the segmented markets theory, the term structure of interest rates is determined solely by
expectations of future interest rates.
a. True
b. False
60. The forward rate is commonly used to represent the market’s forecast of the future interest rate.
a. True
b. False
61. Other things being equal, an expected decrease in interest rates will increase the demand for long-term
funds by borrowers.
a. True
b. False
62. The preference for more liquid short-term securities places downward pressure on the slope of the
yield curve.
a. True
b. False
63. When expectations theory is combined with the liquidity theory, the yield on a security will always be
equal to the yield from consecutive investments in shorter-term securities over the same investment
horizon.
a. True
b. False
64. The segmented markets theory suggests that although investors and borrowers may normally
concentrate on a particular natural maturity market, certain events may cause them to wander from it.
a. True
b. False
65. If the yield curve is upward sloping, some investors may attempt to benefit from the higher yields on
longer-term securities, even when they have funds for only a short period of time. This strategy is
known as riding the yield curve.
a. True
b. False
66. Yield curves are always upward sloping.
a. True
b. False
67. Which of the following statements is not true with respect to debt securities?
a.
Some types of debt securities always offer a higher yield than others.
b.
Debt securities offer different yields because they exhibit different characteristics that
influence the offered yield.
c.
In general, securities with favorable characteristics will offer higher yields to entice
investors.
d.
All of the above are true with respect to debt securities.
68. Which of the following is not a characteristic affecting the yields on debt securities?
a.
default risk
b.
liquidity
c.
tax status
d.
term to maturity
e.
All of the above affect yields on debt securities.
69. All other characteristics being equal, securities with ____ liquidity would have to offer a ____ yield to
be preferred.
a.
lower; higher
b.
higher; higher
c.
lower; lower
d.
none of the above
70. A downward-sloping yield curve indicates that Treasury securities with ____ maturities offer ____
annualized yields.
a.
longer; lower
b.
longer; higher
c.
shorter; lower
d.
shorter; higher
e.
Answers A and D are correct.
71. Assume that the Treasury experiences a large increase in the budget deficit and issues a large number
of T-bills. This action will ____ the supply of T-bills in the market and place ____ pressure on the
yield of T-bills.
a.
decrease; downward
b.
decrease; upward
c.
increase; upward
d.
increase; downward
72. If the liquidity premium theory completely describes the term structure of interest rates, then, on the
average, the yield curve should be
a.
flat.
b.
downward sloping.
c.
upward sloping.
d.
none of the above.
73. If interest rates are expected to decrease, the yield on new short-term securities may be expected to
____, and the yield curve should be ____ sloping.
a.
increase; upward
b.
increase; downward
c.
decrease; upward
d.
decrease; downward
74. According to segmented markets theory, if investors have mostly long-term funds available and
borrowers want short-term funds, this will place ____ pressure on the demand for short-term funds by
borrowers and the yield curve will be ____ sloping.
a.
upward; downward
b.
downward; upward
c.
upward; upward
d.
downward; downward
75. The ____ theory suggests that although investors and borrowers may normally concentrate on a
particular natural maturity market, certain events may cause them to wander from it.
a.
pure expectations
b.
liquidity premium
c.
segmented markets
d.
preferred habitat
76. If the Treasury uses a relatively large proportion of ____ debt to finance a budget deficit, this would
place ____ pressure on long-term yields.
a.
short-term; downward
b.
long-term; downward
c.
short-term; upward
d.
long-term; upward
77. Bonds issued at different times by the same corporation may not receive the same rating from a rating
agency.
a. True
b. False
78. Investment-grade bonds are bonds that are rated as Caa or better by Moody’s and as CCC or better by
Standard & Poor’s.
a. True
b. False
79. In response to criticism of the ratings they assigned before the credit crisis, credit rating agencies now:
a.
a. are paid through fees assessed on the purchasers of bonds.
b.
a. are depending more on sensitivity analysis in which they assess how creditworthiness may
change in response to abrupt changes in the economy.
c.
a. are not allowing the employees who promote an agency to influence the ratings that the
agency assigns.
d.
a. B and C
80. The Financial Reform Act of 2010 established the __________ within the _________ to regulate
credit rating agencies.
a.
a. Bureau of Thrift Agency Supervision; Treasury Department
b.
a. Office of Credit Ratings; Securities and Exchange Commission
c.
a. Federal Ratings Assurance Corporation; Treasury Department
d.
a. Ratings Oversight Commission; Federal Reserve
81. The yields of securities commonly move in the same direction over time.
a. True
b. False
82. Because interest rates may vary significantly across countries at a given point in time, investors do not
monitor the term structures of interest rates in foreign countries unless they are interested in investing
in a particular foreign country.
a. True
b. False