Economics of Enterprise Answers

Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

a. Two bonds have the same maturity and the same coupon rate. However, one is callable and the other is not. The difference in prices between the bonds will be greater if the current market interest rate is below the coupon rate than if it is above the coupon rate.
b. A callable 10-year, 10% bond should sell at a higher price than an otherwise similar noncallable bond.
c. Corporate treasurers dislike issuing callable bonds because these bonds may require the company to raise additional funds earlier than would be true if noncallable bonds with the same maturity were used.
d. Two bonds have the same maturity and the same coupon rate. However, one is callable and the other is not. The difference in prices between the bonds will be greater if the current market interest rate is above the coupon rate than if it is below the coupon rate.
e. The actual life of a callable bond will always be equal to or less than the actual life of a noncallable bond with the same matur

Three $1,000 face value bonds that mature in 10 years have the same level of risk, hence their YTMs are equal. Bond A has an 8% annual coupon, Bond B has a 10% annual coupon, and Bond C has a 12% annual coupon. Bond B sells at par. Assuming interest rates remain constant for the next 10 years, which of the following statements is CORRECT?

a. Bond A’s current yield will increase each year.
b. Since the bonds have the same YTM, they should all have the same price, and since interest rates are not expected to change, their prices should all remain at their current levels until maturity.
c. Bond C sells at a premium (its price is greater than par), and its price is expected to increase over the next year.
d. Bond A sells at a discount (its price is less than par), and its price is expected to increase over the next year.
e. Over the next year, Bond A’s price is expected to decrease, Bond B’s price is expected to stay the same, and Bond C’s price is expected to increase.

John and Daphne are saving for their daughter Ellen's college education. Ellen just turned 10 at (t = 0), and she will be entering college 8 years from now (at t = 8). College tuition and expenses at State U. are currently $14,500 a year, but they are expected to increase at a rate of 3.5% a year. Ellen should graduate in 4 years--if she takes longer or wants to go to graduate school, she will be on her own. Tuition and other costs will be due at the beginning of each school year (at t = 8, 9, 10, and 11).
So far, John and Daphne have accumulated $15,000 in their college savings account (at t = 0). Their long-run financial plan is to add an additional $5,000 in each of the next 4 years (at t = 1, 2, 3, and 4). Then they plan to make 3 equal annual contributions in each of the following years, t = 5, 6, and 7. They expect their investment account to earn 9%. How large must the annual payments at t = 5, 6, and 7 be to cover Ellen's anticipated college costs?
a. $1,965.21
b. $2,068.64
c. $2,177.51
d. $2,292.12

Riverside Bank offers to lend you $50,000 at a nominal rate of 6.5%, compounded monthly. The loan (principal plus interest) must be repaid at the end of the year. Midwest Bank also offers to lend you the $50,000, but it will charge an annual rate of 7.0%, with no interest due until the end of the year. How much higher or lower is the effective annual rate charged by Midwest versus the rate charged by Riverside?

a. 0.52%
b. 0.44%
c. 0.36%
d. 0.30%
e. 0.24%

Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

a. If you have a series of cash flows, each of which is positive, you can solve for I, where the solution value of I causes the PV of the cash flows to equal the cash flow at Time 0.
b. If you have a series of cash flows, and CF0 is negative but each of the following CFs is positive, you can solve for I, but only if the sum of the undiscounted cash flows exceeds the cost.
c. To solve for I, one must identify the value of I that causes the PV of the positive CFs to equal the absolute value of the PV of the negative CFs. This is, essentially, a trial-and-error procedure that is easy with a computer or financial calculator but quite difficult otherwise.
d. If you solve for I and get a negative number, then you must have made a mistake.
e. If CF0 is positive and all the other CFs are negative, then you cannot solve for I.

A $50,000 loan is to be amortized over 7 years, with annual end-of-year payments. Which of these statements is CORRECT?

a. The annual payments would be larger if the interest rate were lower.
b. If the loan were amortized over 10 years rather than 7 years, and if the interest rate were the same in either case, the first payment would include more dollars of interest under the 7-year amortization plan.
c. The proportion of each payment that represents interest as opposed to repayment of principal would be lower if the interest rate were lower.
d. The last payment would have a higher proportion of interest than the first payment.
e. The proportion of interest versus principal repayment would be the same for each of the 7 payments.

Discuss the impact of Standard & Poor’s downgrading the U.S. credit rating in 2011. Address current and likely future impact on U.S. business, individuals, the global economy and current financial practices. Provide specific examples to support your response.

Choose a market for a good in your area that seems to be a perfectly competitive market. Write four or five substantive paragraphs that describes the market and answers the following questions:

•Identify the buyers and sellers as well as the goods or services.
•How closely do real world conditions match the characteristics listed in the model?
•Are the sellers price takers?
•Do they compete using price?
•Is the good in question standardized?
•Is this market regulated by government in any way
•Explain the competitive environment.

Last year Roussakis Company’s operations provided a negative net cash flow, yet the cash shown on its balance sheet increased. Which of the following statements could explain the increase in cash, assuming the company’s financial statements were prepared under generally accepted accounting principles?

a. The company repurchased some of its common stock.
b. The company dramatically increased its capital expenditures.
c. The company retired a large amount of its long-term debt.
d. The company sold some of its fixed assets.
e. The company had high depreciation expenses.

Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

a. The statement of cash flows reflects cash flows from operations, but it does not reflect the effects of buying or selling fixed assets.
b. The statement of cash flows shows where the firm’s cash is located; indeed, it provides a listing of all banks and brokerage houses where cash is on deposit.
c. The statement of cash flows reflects cash flows from continuing operations, but it does not reflect the effects of changes in working capital.
d. The statement of cash flows reflects cash flows from operations and from borrowings, but it does not reflect cash obtained by selling new common stock.
e. The statement of cash flows shows how much the firm’s cash--the total of currency, bank deposits, and short-term liquid securities (or cash equivalents)--increased or decreased during a given year.