Exam 20: Uncertainty and Information

Signals are believable when the cost of sending a

-Steve owns a motorcycle valued at $5,000 and that is his only asset. There is a 5 percent chance that Steve will have an accident within a year. If he does have an accident, his motorcycle is worthless. Steve's utility of wealth curve is shown in the figure above. An insurance company agrees to pay Steve the full value of his motorcycle in case of an accident if he buys the company's insurance policy. The company's operating expenses are $500 per policy. What is the maximum insurance premium that Steve is willing to pay?

An increase in Todd's wealth from $2 million to $4 million raises his utility from 400 units to 500 units. If he has a utility of wealth curve with the typical shape showing risk aversion, then with a wealth of $6 million his utility might be

Travel insurance (which pays a traveler if the traveler needs to cancel his or her trip) has a clause that states it will not pay if the trip is cancelled because of a pre-existing condition. If sick people are more likely to purchase travel insurance, this clause is meant to

-Andrew has the utility of wealth curve shown in the above figure. He owns an SUV worth $30,000, and that is his only wealth. There is a 10 percent chance that he will have an accident within a year. If he does have an accident, his SUV is worthless. What is Andrew's expected wealth?

Pirates have been intensely attacking ships off the shore of Somalia this year. Boat owners have reportedly coughed up more than $30 million in ransom and insurance premiums have shot up. If there is a sudden and unexpected increase in risk, who gains?

-James has a utility of wealth schedule in the above table. He is offered a job selling video games at Games Galore. James' compensation depends on how much he sells. In a poor sales period, a salesperson makes $100 per month. In a good sales period, a salesperson makes $600 per month. James is told by the manager that, in any given month, there is a 25 percent chance of a poor sales period and a 75 percent chance of a good sales period. Suppose that one of James' professors offers him the opportunity to be a research assistant for a fixed and guaranteed amount each month. What amount must James' professor pay in order to make James indifferent between being a research assistant and working at Games Galore?

-Jessica must choose option A or option B. Option A gives her $10,000 for sure. Option B gives her $5,000 if a fair coin toss shows heads and $15,000 if it shows tails. If Jessica is risk averse her utility of wealth curve becomes

Even if your college degree is irrelevant to an employer's needs, your high GPA might still get you the job because

-Bruce Copperwood's utility of wealth curve is illustrated in the above figure. Bruce is presently employed at a salary of $100,000. There is a 10 percent probability that Bruce will be totally disabled, in which case he will have no wealth. An insurance company (with no operating expenses) would be willing to offer Bruce a disability insurance policy paying $100,000 in the case of total disability for a minimum premium of

-John's utility of wealth curve is shown in the above figure. He currently has total wealth of $20,000. If there is a 50 percent chance that his $10,000 car will be stolen, then his expected wealth equals

What is expected utility?

Suppose Nara could invest her $1000 in a savings account or she could invest in the stock market. After one year, the savings account has a guaranteed 5 percent interest rate and the stock market has a 10 percent chance of tripling her money, and 90 percent chance of losing it all. What is Nara's expected wealth if she places her money in the savings account?