Financial Markets and Institutions, 8e (Mishkin)
Chapter 12 The Bond Market
12.1 Multiple Choice
1) Compared to money market securities, capital market securities have
A) more liquidity.
B) longer maturities.
C) lower yields.
D) less risk.
2) (I) Securities that have an original maturity greater than one year are traded in capital markets.
(II) The best known capital market securities are stocks and bonds.
A) (I) is true, (II) false.
B) (I) is false, (II) true.
C) Both are true.
D) Both are false.
3) (I) Securities that have an original maturity greater than one year are traded in money markets.
(II) The best known money market securities are stocks and bonds.
A) (I) is true, (II) false.
B) (I) is false, (II) true.
C) Both are true.
D) Both are false.
4) (I) Firms and individuals use the capital markets for long-term investments.
(II) Capital markets provide an alternative to investment in assets such as real estate and gold.
A) (I) is true, (II) false.
B) (I) is false, (II) true.
C) Both are true.
D) Both are false.
5) The primary reason that individuals and firms choose to borrow long-term is to reduce the risk
that interest rates will ________ before they pay off their debt.
A) rise
B) fall
C) become more volatile
D) become more stable
6) The primary reason that individuals and firms choose to borrow long-term is to
A) reduce the risk that interest rates will fall before they pay off their debt.
B) reduce the risk that interest rates will rise before they pay off their debt.
C) reduce monthly interest payments, as interest rates tend to be higher on short-term than long-
term debt instruments.
D) reduce total interest payments over the life of the debt.
7) A firm will borrow long-term
A) if the extra interest cost of borrowing long-term is less than the expected cost of rising interest
rates before it retires its debt.
B) if the extra interest cost of borrowing short-term due to rising interest rates does not exceed
the expected premium that is paid for borrowing long-term.
C) if short-term interest rates are expected to decline during the term of the debt.
D) if long-term interest rates are expected to decline during the term of the debt.
8) The primary issuers of capital market securities include
A) the federal and local governments.
B) the federal and local governments, and corporations.
C) the federal and local governments, corporations, and financial institutions.
D) local governments and corporations.
9) Governments never issue stock because
A) they cannot sell ownership claims.
B) the Constitution expressly forbids it.
C) both A and B of the above.
D) neither A nor B of the above.
10) (I) The primary issuers of capital market securities are federal and local governments, and
corporations. (II) Governments never issue stock because they cannot sell ownership claims.
A) (I) is true, (II) false.
B) (I) is false, (II) true.
C) Both are true.
D) Both are false.
11) (I) The primary issuers of capital market securities are financial institutions.
(II) The largest purchasers of capital market securities are corporations.
A) (I) is true, (II) false.
B) (I) is false, (II) true.
C) Both are true.
D) Both are false.
12) The distribution of a firm’s capital between debt and equity is its
A) current ratio.
B) liability structure.
C) acid ratio.
D) capital structure.
13) The largest purchasers of capital market securities are
A) households.
B) corporations.
C) governments.
D) central banks.
14) Individuals and households frequently purchase capital market securities through financial
institutions such as
A) mutual funds.
B) pension funds.
C) money market mutual funds.
D) all of the above.
E) only A and B of the above.
15) (I) There are two types of exchanges in the secondary market for capital securities: organized
exchanges and over-the-counter exchanges. (II) When firms sell securities for the very first time,
the issue is an initial public offering.
A) (I) is true, (II) false.
B) (I) is false, (II) true.
C) Both are true.
D) Both are false.
16) (I) Capital market securities fall into two categories: bonds and stocks. (II) Long-term bonds
include government bonds and long-term notes, municipal bonds, and corporate bonds.
A) (I) is true, (II) false.
B) (I) is false, (II) true.
C) Both are true.
D) Both are false.
17) The ________ value of a bond is the amount that the issuer must pay at maturity.
A) market
B) present
C) discounted
D) face
18) The ________ rate is the rate of interest that the issuer must pay.
A) market
B) coupon
C) discount
D) funds
19) (I) The coupon rate is the rate of interest that the issuer of the bond must pay.
(II) The coupon rate is usually fixed for the duration of the bond and does not fluctuate with
market interest rates.
A) (I) is true, (II) false.
B) (I) is false, (II) true.
C) Both are true.
D) Both are false.
20) (I) The coupon rate is the rate of interest that the issuer of the bond must pay.
(II) The coupon rate on old bonds fluctuates with market interest rates so they will remain
attractive to investors.
A) (I) is true, (II) false.
B) (I) is false, (II) true.
C) Both are true.
D) Both are false.
21) Treasury bonds are subject to ________ risk but are free of ________ risk.
A) default; interest-rate
B) default; underwriting
C) interest-rate; default
D) interest-rate; underwriting
22) The prices of Treasury notes, bonds, and bills are quoted
A) as a percentage of the coupon rate.
B) as a percentage of the previous day’s closing value.
C) as a percentage of $100 face value.
D) as a multiple of the annual interest paid.
23) The security with the longest maturity is a Treasury
A) note.
B) bond.
C) acceptance.
D) bill.
24) (I) To sell an old bond when interest rates have risen, the holder will have to discount the
bond until the yield to the buyer is the same as the market rate. (II) The risk that the value of a
bond will fall when market interest rates rise is called interest-rate risk.
A) (I) is true, (II) false.
B) (I) is false, (II) true.
C) Both are true.
D) Both are false.
25) To sell an old bond when interest rates have ________, the holder will have to ________ the
price of the bond until the yield to the buyer is the same as the market rate.
A) risen; lower
B) risen; raise
C) fallen; lower
D) risen; inflate
26) Most of the time, the interest rate on Treasury notes and bonds is ________ that on money
market securities because of ________ risk.
A) above; interest-rate
B) above; default
C) below; interest-rate
D) below; default
27) (I) In most years, the rate of return on short-term Treasury bills is below that on the 20-year
Treasury bond.
(II) Interest rates on Treasury bills are more volatile than rates on long-term Treasury securities.
A) (I) is true, (II) false.
B) (I) is false, (II) true.
C) Both are true.
D) Both are false.
28) (I) Because interest rates on Treasury bills are more volatile than rates on long-term
securities, the return on short-term Treasury securities is usually above that on longer-term
Treasury securities.
(II) A Treasury STRIP separates the periodic interest payments from the final principal
repayment.
A) (I) is true, (II) false.
B) (I) is false, (II) true.
C) Both are true.
D) Both are false.
29) Which of the following statements about Treasury inflation-indexed bonds is not true?
A) The principal amount used to compute the interest payment varies with the consumer price
index.
B) The interest payment rises when inflation occurs.
C) The interest rate rises when inflation occurs.
D) At maturity, the securities pay the greater of face value or inflation-adjusted principal.
30) (I) Municipal bonds that are issued to pay for essential public projects are exempt from
federal taxation. (II) General obligation bonds do not have specific assets pledged as security or a
specific source of revenue allocated for their repayment.
A) (I) is true, (II) false.
B) (I) is false, (II) true.
C) Both are true.
D) Both are false.
31) (I) Most corporate bonds have a face value of $1,000, pay interest semiannually, and can be
redeemed anytime the issuer wishes. (II) Registered bonds have now been largely replaced by
bearer bonds, which do not have coupons.
A) (I) is true, (II) false.
B) (I) is false, (II) true.
C) Both are true.
D) Both are false.
32) The bond contract that states the lender’s rights and privileges and the borrower’s obligations
is called the
A) bond syndicate.
B) restrictive covenant.
C) bond covenant.
D) bond indenture.
33) Policies that limit the discretion of managers as a way of protecting bondholders’ interests are
called
A) restrictive covenants.
B) debentures.
C) sinking funds.
D) bond indentures.
34) Typically, the interest rate on corporate bonds will be ________ the more restrictions are
placed on management through restrictive covenants, because ________.
A) higher; corporate earnings will be limited by the restrictions
B) higher; the bonds will be considered safer by bondholders
C) lower; the bonds will be considered safer by buyers
D) lower; corporate earnings will be higher with more restrictions in place
35) Restrictive covenants can
A) limit the amount of dividends the firm can pay.
B) limit the ability of the firm to issue additional debt.
C) restrict the ability of the firm to enter into a merger agreement.
D) do all of the above.
E) do only A and B of the above.
36) (I) Restrictive covenants often limit the amount of dividends that firms can pay the
stockholders.
(II) Most corporate indentures include a call provision, which states that the issuer has the right
to force the holder to sell the bond back.
A) (I) is true, (II) false.
B) (I) is false, (II) true.
C) Both are true.
D) Both are false.
37) Call provisions will be exercised when interest rates ________ and bond values ________.
A) rise; rise
B) fall; rise
C) rise; fall
D) fall; fall
38) A requirement in the bond indenture that the firm pay off a portion of the bond issue each
year is called
A) a sinking fund.
B) a call provision.
C) a restrictive covenant.
D) a shelf registration.
39) (I) Callable bonds usually have a higher yield than comparable noncallable bonds.
(II) Convertible bonds are attractive to bondholders and sell for a higher price than comparable
nonconvertible bonds.
A) (I) is true, (II) false.
B) (I) is false, (II) true.
C) Both are true.
D) Both are false.
40) Long-term unsecured bonds that are backed only by the general creditworthiness of the
issuer are called
A) junk bonds.
B) callable bonds.
C) convertible bonds.
D) debentures.
41) A secured bond is backed by
A) the general creditworthiness of the borrower.
B) an insurance company’s financial guarantee.
C) the expected future earnings of the borrower.
D) specific collateral.
42) Financial guarantees
A) are insurance policies to back bond issues.
B) are purchased by financially weaker security issuers.
C) lower the risk of the bonds covered by the guarantee.
D) do all of the above.
E) do only A and B of the above.
43) In its simplest form, a credit default swap provides
A) insurance against default in the principle and interest payments of a credit instrument.
B) an alternative method for bond issuers to pay principle and interest payments via a swap.
C) bond investors with a method to swap interest payments for principle payments during a
“credit event.”
D) the government with a guarantee that certain bond issues will not run into credit problems.
44) Corporate bonds are less risky if they are ________ bonds and municipal bonds are less risky
if they are ________ bonds.
A) secured; revenue
B) secured; general obligation
C) unsecured; revenue
D) unsecured; general obligation
45) Which of the following are true for the current yield?
A) The current yield is defined as the yearly coupon payment divided by the price of the security.
B) The formula for the current yield is identical to the formula describing the yield to maturity
for a discount bond.
C) The current yield is always a poor approximation for the yield to maturity.
D) All of the above are true.
E) Only A and B of the above are true.
46) The nearer a bond’s price is to its par value and the longer the maturity of the bond, the more
closely the ________ approximates the ________.
A) current yield; yield to maturity
B) current yield; coupon rate
C) yield to maturity; current yield
D) yield to maturity; coupon rate
47) Which of the following are true for the current yield?
A) The current yield is defined as the yearly coupon payment divided by the price of the security.
B) The current yield and the yield to maturity always move together.
C) The formula for the current yield is identical to the formula describing the yield to maturity
for a discount bond.
D) All of the above are true.
E) Only A and B of the above are true.
48) The current yield is a less accurate approximation of the yield to maturity the ________ the
time to maturity of the bond and the ________ the price is from/to the par value.
A) shorter; closer
B) shorter; farther
C) longer; closer
D) longer; farther
49) The current yield on a $6,000, 10 percent coupon bond selling for $5,000 is
A) 5%.
B) 10%.
C) 12%.
D) 15%.
50) The current yield on a $5,000, 8 percent coupon bond selling for $4,000 is
A) 5%.
B) 8%.
C) 10%.
D) 20%.
E) none of the above.
51) When an old bond’s market value is above its par value, the bond is selling at a ________.
This occurs because the old bond’s coupon rate is ________ the coupon rates of new bonds with
similar risk.
A) premium; below
B) premium; above
C) discount; below
D) discount; above
52) Corporations may enter the capital markets because
A) they do not have sufficient capital to fund their investment opportunities.
B) they want to preserve their capital to protect against expected needs.
C) it is required by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
D) none of the above.
53) Capital market trading occurs in
A) the primary market.
B) the secondary market.
C) both A and B of the above.
D) none of the above.
54) Bonds
A) are securities that represent a debt owed by the issuer to the investor.
B) obligate the issuer to pay a specified amount at a given date, generally without periodic
interest payments.
C) both A and B of the above.
D) none of the above.
55) STRIPS (Separate Trading of Registered Interest and Principal Securities) are also called
A) interest-based securities.
B) zero-coupon securities.
C) leveraged securities.
D) covenant securities.
56) The risk on an agency bond is
A) high.
B) zero.
C) moderate.
D) low.
57) The first step in finding the value of a bond is to
A) discount back the cash flows using an interest rate that represents the yield available on other
bonds of like risk and maturity.
B) identify the cash flows the holder of the bond will receive.
C) contact the holder of the bond.
D) none of the above.
58) A change in the current yield ________ signals a change in the same direction of the yield to
maturity.
A) never
B) rarely
C) always
D) often
59) By the time the subprime financial crisis hit in force, Fannie and Freddie had ________
subprime and Alt-A assets on their books.
A) over $1 trillion of
B) very few
C) been prohibited from holding
D) none of the above
12.2 True/False
1) Firms and individuals use the money markets primarily to warehouse funds for short
periods of time until a more important need or a more productive use for the funds arises.
2) The primary issuers of capital market securities are local governments and corporations.
3) Capital market securities are less liquid and have longer maturities than money market
securities.
4) Governments never issue stock because they cannot sell ownership claims.
5) To sell an old bond when rates have risen, the holder will have to discount the bond until the
yield to the buyer is the same as the market rate.
6) Most of the time, the interest rate on Treasury notes is below that on money market securities
because of their low default risk.
7) Municipal bonds that are issued to pay for essential public projects are exempt from federal
taxation.
8) Most municipal bonds are revenue bonds rather than general obligation bonds.
9) Most corporate bonds have a face value of $1,000, are sold at a discount, and can only be
redeemed at the maturity date.
10) Registered bonds have now been largely replaced by bearer bonds, which do not have
coupons.
11) A sinking fund is a requirement in the bond indenture that the firm pay off a portion of the
bond issue each year.
12) Debentures are long-term unsecured bonds that are backed only by the general
creditworthiness of the issuer.
13) In a leveraged buy-out, a firm greatly increases its debt level by issuing junk bonds to
finance the purchase of another firm’s stock.
14) A financial guarantee ensures that the lender (bond purchaser) will be paid both principal and
interest in the event the issuer defaults.
15) The Commodity Futures Modernization Act (2000) removed derivative securities, such as
credit default swaps, from regulatory oversight.
16) The current yield on a bond is a good approximation of the bond’s yield to maturity when the
bond matures in five years or less and its price differs from its par value by a large amount.
17) The secondary market is where new issues of stocks and bonds are introduced.
18) General obligation bonds have specific assets pledged as security or specific sources of
revenue allocated for their repayment.
1) What is the purpose of the capital market? How do capital market securities differ from
money market securities in their general characteristics?
2) What is a bond indenture?
3) What role do restrictive covenants play in bond markets?
4) What is the difference between a general obligation bond and a revenue bond?
5) What are Treasury STRIPS?
6) What is a convertible bond? How does the convertibility feature affect the bond’s price and
interest rate?
7) What is a bond’s current yield? How does the current yield differ from the yield to maturity
and what determines how close the two values are?
8) Distinguish between general obligation and revenue municipal bonds.
9) What is a callable bond? How does the callability feature affect the bond’s price and interest
rate?
10) What types of risks should bondholders be aware of and how do these affect bond prices and
yields?
11) Explain the different types of corporate bonds.
12) The Commodity Futures Modernization Act (2000) removed derivative securities, such as
CDSs, from regulatory oversight. This change opened the door for speculators to bet on the
health of a company or pool of assets, and was certainly a culprit in the 2007-2009 financial
crisis. Why did Congress pass such legislation?
13) Why don’t federal, state, and local governments issue equity claims?