An exception to the key difference between sovereign default and corporate bonds is:
A) member states of the U.S.
B) member states of the EMU.
C) member states of the African Union.
D) member states of the NAFTA.
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
A) The expected return of a portfolio is equal to the weighted average expected return,
but the volatility of a portfolio is less than the weighted average volatility.
B) Each security contributes to the volatility of the portfolio according to its volatility,
scaled by its covariance with the portfolio, which adjusts for the fraction of the total
risk that is common to the portfolio.
C) Nearly half of the volatility of individual stocks can be eliminated in a large
portfolio as a result of diversification.
D) The overall variability of the portfolio depends on the total co-movement of the
stocks within it.
Consider a portfolio that consists of an equal investment in 20 firms. For each of these
firms, there is a 70% probability that the firms will have a 16% return and a 30% that
they will have a – 8% return. Each of these firms’ returns is independent of all others.
The standard deviation of this portfolio is closest to:
A) 2.5%
B) 4.2%
C) 8.8%
D) 11.0%