FINC2001 Assignment 1: Short written responses - forwards and futures
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Assignment 1: Short written responses - forwards and futures
Due: 17:00pm (Tianjin Time), Monday 07 November 2022
Length: 1,500 words
Available Marks: 30
Unit Weighting: 30%
Submission: of one word file via submission link (A1 Submission) in the unit’s blackboard site “Assessment Tasks and Submission” tab.
Question 1 (3 marks)
Suppose you buy a stock index futures contract at the opening price of 332.94 on January 1. The multiplier on the contract is 500, so the price is $500(332.94) = $166,470. You hold the position until selling it on January 16 at the opening price of $333.12. The initial margin requirement is $6,611, and the maintenance margin requirement is $4,958. Assume that you deposit the initial margin and do not withdraw the excess on any given day. Construct a table showing the charges and credits to the margin account. The daily prices on the intervening days are as follows:
Day |
Settlement Price |
1/1 |
337.43 |
2/1 |
325.65 |
3/1 |
331.75 |
7/1 |
339.21 |
8/1 |
337.45 |
9/1 |
319.89 |
10/1 |
302.12 |
11/1 |
333.57 |
14/1 |
342.62 |
15/1 |
340.17 |
16/1 |
333.12 |
Question 2 (2 marks)
The crude oil futures contract on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) covers 1,000 barrels of crude oil. The contract is quoted in dollars and cents per barrel, and the minimum price change is $0.01. The initial margin requirement is $7,500, and the maintenance margin requirement is $7,000. Suppose you bought a contract at $99.43, putting up the initial margin. At what price would you get a margin call?
Question 3 (2 marks)
Solve for the price of a forward contract on a generic asset that expires on June 15, 2021 whose spot price as of December 15, 2020 is $75.76, assuming that that the annually compounded risk-free rate is 3.43 percent.
Question 4 (2 marks)
Calculate the net effect that a change in the annually compounded risk-free rate from 3.43 percent to 3.89 percent would make on the price of a commodity futures contract whose spot price as of June 30, 2020 was $15.72, assuming that there is a $0.96 storage cost and the futures contract expires on March 30, 2021.
Question 5 (2 marks)
Assume that there is a forward market for a commodity. The forward price of the commodity is $54. The contract expires in 12 months. The risk-free rate is 4.89 percent. Now nine months later, the spot price is $66. What is the forward contract worth at this time?
Question 6 (3 marks)
On a particular day, the S&P ASX 200 futures settlement price was 491.72. You buy one contract at the settlement price at around the close of the market. The next day the contract opens at 489.75, and the settlement price of the day is 485.37. Determine the value of the futures contract at the opening, an instant before the close, and after the close. Remember that the S&P ASX 200 futures contract has a $250 multiplier.
Question 7 (3 marks)
The following information was available: spot rate for Japanese Yen: $0.009437; 1,460-day forward rate for Japanese Yen: $0.013431 (assume a 365 day year); U.S. risk-free rate: 6.00 percent; Japanese risk-free rate: 4.00 percent. Assuming annual compounding, determine whether interest rate parity holds and, if not, suggest an arbitrage strategy.
Question 8 (4 marks)
On March 15, 2020, an American firm decided to close out its account at a Canadian bank on June 15, 2020. The firm is expected to have $10 million Canadian dollars in the account at the time of the withdrawal. It would convert the funds to U.S. dollars and transfer them to a New York bank. The relevant spot foreign exchange rate was $0.7736. The June Canadian dollar futures contract was priced at $0.7717. Determine the outcome of a futures hedge if on June 15, 2018 the spot rate was $0.7536 and the futures rate was $0.7550. All prices are in U.S. dollars per Canadian dollar. The Canadian dollar futures contract covers CD100,000.
Question 9 (5 marks)
On January 31, 2020 a firm learns that it will have additional funds available on May 31, 2020. It will use the funds to purchase $10 million par value of the Prestige Worldwide 9.25 percent bonds maturing in 10 years. Interest is paid semi-annually on March 30 and September 30. The bonds are rated A1 by Moodys’ and are selling for 78.50 and yielding 12.25 percent. The modified duration is 7.60. The firm is considering hedging the anticipated purchase with September T-bond futures. The futures price is 71.06. The firm believes that the futures contract is tracking the Treasury bond with a coupon of 12.50 percent and maturing in about 12 years. It has determined that the implied yield on the futures contract is 11.50 percent and the modified duration of the contract is 8.15. The firm believes that the Prestige Worldwide bond yield will change 1 point for every 1-point change in the yield on the bond underlying the futures contract.
a) Determine the transaction the firm should conduct on January 31, 2020 to set up the hedge.
b) On May 31, 2020 the Prestige Worldwide bonds were priced at 82.25. The September futures price was 79.50. Determine the outcome of the hedge.
Question 10 (4 marks)
On June 30, 2018 a securities analyst recommended NINJA Ltd stock as a good purchase. The portfolio manager plans to buy 50,000 shares of the stock on September 30, 2018 but is concerned that the market as a whole will be bullish over the next three months. NINJA’S stock is currently trading at $40.65 and the beta is 1.25. Construct a hedge that will protect against movements in the stock market as a whole. Use the December stock index futures, which is priced at 384.78 on June 30, 2018, and has a $500 multiplier. Evaluate the outcome of the hedge if on September 30, 2018, the futures price is 395.32 and NINJA’S stock price is $42.04.
2022-11-01