Deck 7: Bonds

Question 1

You have funds that you want to invest in bonds, and you just noticed in the financial pages of the local newspaper that you can buy a $1,000 par value bond for $800. The coupon rate is 10% (with annual payments), and there are 10 years before the bond will mature and pay off its $1,000 par value. You should buy the bond if your required return on bonds with this risk is 12%.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Floating-rate debt is advantageous to investors because the interest rate moves up if market rates rise. Since floating-rate debt shifts price risk to companies, it offers no advantages to corporate issuers.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Because short-term interest rates are much more volatile than long-term rates, you would, in the real world, generally be subject to much more price risk if you purchased a 30-day bond than if you bought a 30-year bond.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Junk bonds are high-risk, high-yield debt instruments. They are often used to finance leveraged buyouts and mergers, and to provide financing to companies of questionable financial strength.

Question 5

You are considering 2 bonds that will be issued tomorrow. Both are rated triple B (BBB, the lowest investment-grade rating), both mature in 20 years, both have a 10% coupon, neither can be called except for sinking fund purposes, and both are offered to you at their $1,000 par values. However, Bond SF has a sinking fund while Bond NSF does not. Under the sinking fund, the company must call and pay off 5% of the bonds at par each year. The yield curve at the time is upward sloping. The bond's prices, being equal, are probably not in equilibrium, as Bond SF, which has the sinking fund, would generally be expected to have a higher yield than Bond NSF.

Question 6

A bond that had a 20-year original maturity with 1 year left to maturity has more price risk than a 10-year original maturity bond with 1 year left to maturity. (Assume that the bonds have equal default risk and equal coupon rates, and they cannot be called.)

Question 7

Sinking funds are provisions included in bond indentures that require companies to retire bonds on a scheduled basis prior to their final maturity. Many indentures allow the company to acquire bonds for sinking fund purposes by either (1) purchasing bonds on the open market at the going market price or (2) selecting the bonds to be called by a lottery administered by the trustee, in which case the price paid is the bond's face value.

Question 8

A call provision gives bondholders the right to demand, or "call for," repayment of a bond. Typically, companies call bonds if interest rates rise and do not call them if interest rates decline.

Question 9

A bond has a $1,000 par value, makes annual interest payments of $100, has 5 years to maturity, cannot be called, and is not expected to default. The bond should sell at a premium if market interest rates are below 10% and at a discount if interest rates are greater than 10%.

Question 10

The price sensitivity of a bond to a given change in interest rates is generally greater the longer the bond's remaining maturity.

Question 11

As a general rule, a company's debentures have higher required interest rates than its mortgage bonds because mortgage bonds are backed by specific assets while debentures are unsecured.

Question 12

Income bonds pay interest only if the issuing company actually earns the indicated interest. Thus, these securities cannot bankrupt a company, and this makes them safer from an investor's perspective than regular bonds.

Question 13

The desire for floating-rate bonds, and consequently their increased usage, arose out of the experience of the early 1980s, when inflation pushed interest rates up to very high levels and thus caused sharp declines in the prices of outstanding bonds.

Question 14

The market value of any real or financial asset, including stocks, bonds, or art work purchased in hope of selling it at a profit, may be estimated by determining future cash flows and then discounting them back to the present.

Question 15

There is an inverse relationship between bonds' quality ratings and their required rates of return. Thus, the required return is lowest for AAA-rated bonds, and required returns increase as the ratings get lower.

Question 16

Restrictive covenants are designed primarily to protect bondholders by constraining the actions of managers. Such covenants are spelled out in bond indentures.

Question 17

If a firm raises capital by selling new bonds, it could be called the "issuing firm," and the coupon rate is generally set equal to the required rate on bonds of equal risk.

Question 18

A zero coupon bond is a bond that pays no interest and is offered (and initially sells) at par. These bonds provide compensation to investors in the form of capital appreciation.

Question 19

The prices of high-coupon bonds tend to be less sensitive to a given change in interest rates than low-coupon bonds, other things held constant.

Question 20

If the required rate of return on a bond (rd) is greater than its coupon interest rate and will remain above that rate, then the market value of the bond will always be below its par value until the bond matures, at which time its market value will equal its par value. (Accrued interest between interest payment dates should not be considered when answering this question.)

Question 21

Under normal conditions, which of the following would be most likely to increase the coupon rate required for a bond to be issued at par?

A) Adding additional restrictive covenants that limit management's actions.
B) Adding a call provision.
C) The rating agencies change the bond's rating from Baa to Aaa.
D) Making the bond a first mortgage bond rather than a debenture.
E) Adding a sinking fund.

Question 22

You are considering two bonds. Bond A has a 9% annual coupon while Bond B has a 6% annual coupon. Both bonds have a 7% yield to maturity, and the YTM is expected to remain constant. Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) The price of Bond B will decrease over time, but the price of Bond A will increase over time.
B) The prices of both bonds will remain unchanged.
C) The price of Bond A will decrease over time, but the price of Bond B will increase over time.
D) The prices of both bonds will increase by 7% per year.
E) The prices of both bonds will increase over time, but the price of Bond A will increase at a faster rate.

Question 23

Which of the following events would make it more likely that a company would call its outstanding callable bonds?

A) The company's bonds are downgraded.
B) Market interest rates rise sharply.
C) Market interest rates decline sharply.
D) The company's financial situation deteriorates significantly.
E) Inflation increases significantly.

Question 24

Assume that interest rates on 20-year Treasury and corporate bonds with different ratings, all of which are noncallable, are as follows:
T-bond = 7.72% A = 9.64%
AAA = 8.72% BBB = 10.18%
The differences in rates among these issues were most probably caused primarily by:

A) Real risk-free rate differences.
B) Tax effects.
C) Default and liquidity risk differences.
D) Maturity risk differences.
E) Inflation differences.

Question 25

A 12-year bond has an annual coupon of 9%. The coupon rate will remain fixed until the bond matures. The bond has a yield to maturity of 7%. Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) If market interest rates decline, the price of the bond will also decline.
B) The bond is currently selling at a price below its par value.
C) If market interest rates remain unchanged, the bond's price one year from now will be lower than it is today.
D) The bond should currently be selling at its par value.
E) If market interest rates remain unchanged, the bond's price one year from now will be higher than it is today.

Question 26

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

A) Bond 8'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 12 sells at a premium (its price is greater than par), and its price is expected to increase over the next year.
D) Bond 8 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 8's price is expected to decrease, Bond 10's price is expected to stay the same, and Bond 12's price is expected to increase.

Question 27

Which of the following bonds would have the greatest percentage increase in value if all interest rates in the economy fall by 1%?

A) 10-year, zero coupon bond.
B) 20-year, 10% coupon bond.
C) 20-year, 5% coupon bond.
D) 1-year, 10% coupon bond.
E) 20-year, zero coupon bond.

Question 28

Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) Sinking fund provisions sometimes turn out to adversely affect bondholders, and this is most likely to occur if interest rates decline after the bond was issued.
B) Most sinking funds require the issuer to provide funds to a trustee, who holds the money so that it will be available to pay off bondholders when the bonds mature.
C) A sinking fund provision makes a bond more risky to investors at the time of issuance.
D) Sinking fund provisions never require companies to retire their debt; they only establish "targets" for the company to reduce its debt over time.
E) If interest rates increase after a company has issued bonds with a sinking fund, the company will be less likely to buy bonds on the open market to meet its sinking fund obligation and more likely to call them in at the sinking fund call price.

Question 29

Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) If a bond is selling at a discount, the yield to call is a better measure of return than is the yield to maturity.
B) On an expected yield basis, the expected capital gains yield will always be positive because an investor would not purchase a bond with an expected capital loss.
C) On an expected yield basis, the expected current yield will always be positive because an investor would not purchase a bond that is not expected to pay any cash coupon interest.
D) If a coupon bond is selling at par, its current yield equals its yield to maturity, and its expected capital gains yield is zero.
E) The current yield on Bond A exceeds the current yield on Bond B; therefore, Bond A must have a higher yield to maturity than Bond B.

Question 30

A 10-year corporate bond has an annual coupon of 9%. The bond is currently selling at par ($1,000). Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) The bond's expected capital gains yield is zero.
B) The bond's yield to maturity is above 9%.
C) The bond's current yield is above 9%.
D) If the bond's yield to maturity declines, the bond will sell at a discount.
E) The bond's current yield is less than its expected capital gains yield.

Question 31

A 10-year bond pays an annual coupon, its YTM is 8%, and it currently trades at a premium. Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) The bond's current yield is less than 8%.
B) If the yield to maturity remains at 8%, then the bond's price will decline over the next year.
C) The bond's coupon rate is less than 8%.
D) If the yield to maturity increases, then the bond's price will increase.
E) If the yield to maturity remains at 8%, then the bond's price will remain constant over the next year.

Question 32

A 10-year Treasury bond has an 8% coupon, and an 8-year Treasury bond has a 10% coupon. Neither is callable, and both have the same yield to maturity. If the yield to maturity of both bonds increases by the same amount, which of the following statements would be CORRECT?

A) The prices of both bonds will decrease by the same amount.
B) Both bonds would decline in price, but the 10-year bond would have the greater percentage decline in price.
C) The prices of both bonds would increase by the same amount.
D) One bond's price would increase, while the other bond's price would decrease.
E) The prices of the two bonds would remain constant.

Question 33

Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) You hold two bonds, a 10-year, zero coupon, issue and a 10-year bond that pays a 6% annual coupon. The same market rate, 6%, applies to both bonds. If the market rate rises from its current level, the zero coupon bond will experience the larger percentage decline.
B) The time to maturity does not affect the change in the value of a bond in response to a given change in interest rates.
C) You hold two bonds. One is a 10-year, zero coupon, bond and the other is a 10-year bond that pays a 6% annual coupon. The same market rate, 6%, applies to both bonds. If the market rate rises from the current level, the zero coupon bond will experience the smaller percentage decline.
D) The shorter the time to maturity, the greater the change in the value of a bond in response to a given change in interest rates, other things held constant.
E) The longer the time to maturity, the smaller the change in the value of a bond in response to a given change in interest rates.

Question 34

A bond that is callable has a chance of being retired earlier than its stated term to maturity. Therefore, if the yield curve is upward sloping, an outstanding callable bond should have a lower yield to maturity than an otherwise identical noncallable bond.

Question 35

A 15-year bond with a face value of $1,000 currently sells for $850. Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) The bond's coupon rate exceeds its current yield.
B) The bond's current yield exceeds its yield to maturity.
C) The bond's yield to maturity is greater than its coupon rate.
D) The bond's current yield is equal to its coupon rate.
E) If the yield to maturity stays constant until the bond matures, the bond's price will remain at $850.

Question 36

Tucker Corporation is planning to issue new 20-year bonds. The current plan is to make the bonds non-callable, but this may be changed. If the bonds are made callable after 5 years at a 5% call premium, how would this affect their required rate of return?

A) Because of the call premium, the required rate of return would decline.
B) There is no reason to expect a change in the required rate of return.
C) The required rate of return would decline because the bond would then be less risky to a bondholder.
D) The required rate of return would increase because the bond would then be more risky to a bondholder.
E) It is impossible to say without more information.

Question 37

Amram Inc. can issue a 20-year bond with a 6% annual coupon at par. This bond is not convertible, not callable, and has no sinking fund. Alternatively, Amram could issue a 20-year bond that is convertible into common equity, may be called, and has a sinking fund. Which of the following most accurately describes the coupon rate that Amram would have to pay on the second bond, the convertible, callable bond with the sinking fund, to have it sell initially at par?

A) The coupon rate should be exactly equal to 6%.
B) The coupon rate could be less than, equal to, or greater than 6%, depending on the specific terms set, but in the real world the convertible feature would probably cause the coupon rate to be less than 6%.
C) The rate should be slightly greater than 6%.
D) The rate should be over 7%.
E) The rate should be over 8%.

Question 38

Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) A zero coupon bond's current yield is equal to its yield to maturity.
B) If a bond's yield to maturity exceeds its coupon rate, the bond will sell at par.
C) All else equal, if a bond's yield to maturity increases, its price will fall.
D) If a bond's yield to maturity exceeds its coupon rate, the bond will sell at a premium over par.
E) All else equal, if a bond's yield to maturity increases, its current yield will fall.

Question 39

Other things equal, a firm will have to pay a higher coupon rate on its subordinated debentures than on its second mortgage bonds.

Question 40

Assume that all interest rates in the economy decline from 10% to 9%. Which of the following bonds would have the largest percentage increase in price?

A) An 8-year bond with a 9% coupon.
B) A 1-year bond with a 15% coupon.
C) A 3-year bond with a 10% coupon.
D) A 10-year zero coupon bond.
E) A 10-year bond with a 10% coupon.

Question 41

A 10-year bond with a 9% annual coupon has a yield to maturity of 8%. Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) If the yield to maturity remains constant, the bond's price one year from now will be higher than its current price.
B) The bond is selling below its par value.
C) The bond is selling at a discount.
D) If the yield to maturity remains constant, the bond's price one year from now will be lower than its current price.
E) The bond's current yield is greater than 9%.

Question 42

Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) 10-year, zero coupon bonds have more reinvestment risk than 10-year, 10% coupon bonds.
B) A 10-year, 10% coupon bond has less reinvestment risk than a 10-year, 5% coupon bond (assuming all else equal).
C) The total (rate of) return on a bond during a given year is the sum of the coupon interest payments received during the year and the change in the value of the bond from the beginning to the end of the year, divided by the bond's price at the beginning of the year.
D) The price of a 20-year, 10% bond is less sensitive to changes in interest rates than the price of a 5-year, 10% bond.
E) A $1,000 bond with $100 annual interest payments that has 5 years to maturity and is not expected to default would sell at a discount if interest rates were below 9% and at a premium if interest rates were greater than 11%.

Question 43

Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) If two bonds have the same maturity, the same yield to maturity, and the same level of risk, the bonds should sell for the same price regardless of their coupon rates.
B) All else equal, an increase in interest rates will have a greater effect on the prices of short-term than long-term bonds.
C) All else equal, an increase in interest rates will have a greater effect on higher-coupon bonds than it will have on lower-coupon bonds.
D) If a bond's yield to maturity exceeds its coupon rate, the bond's price must be less than its maturity value.
E) If a bond's yield to maturity exceeds its coupon rate, the bond's current yield must be less than its coupon rate.

Question 44

Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) If the Federal Reserve unexpectedly announces that it expects inflation to increase, then we would probably observe an immediate increase in bond prices.
B) The total yield on a bond is derived from dividends plus changes in the price of the bond.
C) Bonds are generally regarded as being riskier than common stocks, and therefore bonds have higher required returns.
D) Bonds issued by larger companies always have lower yields to maturity (due to less risk) than bonds issued by smaller companies.
E) The market price of a bond will always approach its par value as its maturity date approaches, provided the bond's required return remains constant.

Question 45

Which of the following bonds has the greatest price risk?

A) A 10-year $100 annuity.
B) A 10-year, $1,000 face value, zero coupon bond.
C) A 10-year, $1,000 face value, 10% coupon bond with annual interest payments.
D) All 10-year bonds have the same price risk since they have the same maturity.
E) A 10-year, $1,000 face value, 10% coupon bond with semiannual interest payments.

Question 46

Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) All else equal, high-coupon bonds have less reinvestment risk than low-coupon bonds.
B) All else equal, long-term bonds have less price risk than short-term bonds.
C) All else equal, low-coupon bonds have less price risk than high-coupon bonds.
D) All else equal, short-term bonds have less reinvestment risk than long-term bonds.
E) All else equal, long-term bonds have less reinvestment risk than short-term bonds.

Question 47

Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) If a bond is selling at a discount to par, its current yield will be greater than its yield to maturity.
B) All else equal, bonds with longer maturities have less price risk than bonds with shorter maturities.
C) If a bond is selling at its par value, its current yield equals its capital gains yield.
D) If a bond is selling at a premium, its current yield will be less than its capital gains yield.
E) All else equal, bonds with larger coupons have less price risk than bonds with smaller coupons.

Question 48

Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) If a coupon bond is selling at a premium, then the bond's current yield is zero.
B) If a coupon bond is selling at a discount, then the bond's expected capital gains yield is negative.
C) If a bond is selling at a discount, the yield to call is a better measure of the expected return than the yield to maturity.
D) The current yield on Bond A exceeds the current yield on Bond B. Therefore, Bond A must have a higher yield to maturity than Bond B.
E) If a coupon bond is selling at par, its current yield equals its yield to maturity.

Question 49

Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) If a coupon bond is selling at par, its current yield equals its yield to maturity.
B) If rates fall after its issue, a zero coupon bond could trade at a price above its maturity (or par) value.
C) If rates fall rapidly, a zero coupon bond's expected appreciation could become negative.
D) If a firm moves from a position of strength toward financial distress, its bonds' yield to maturity would probably decline.
E) If a bond is selling at a premium, this implies that its yield to maturity exceeds its coupon rate.

Question 50

If its yield to maturity declined by 1%, which of the following bonds would have the largest percentage increase in value?

A) A 1-year zero coupon bond.
B) A 1-year bond with an 8% coupon.
C) A 10-year bond with an 8% coupon.
D) A 10-year bond with a 12% coupon.
E) A 10-year zero coupon bond.

Question 51

An investor is considering buying one of two 10-year, $1,000 face value, noncallable bonds: Bond A has a 7% annual coupon, while Bond B has a 9% annual coupon. Both bonds have a yield to maturity of 8%, and the YTM is expected to remain constant for the next 10 years. Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) Bond B has a higher price than Bond A today, but one year from now the bonds will have the same price.
B) One year from now, Bond A's price will be higher than it is today.
C) Bond A's current yield is greater than 8%.
D) Bond A has a higher price than Bond B today, but one year from now the bonds will have the same price.
E) Both bonds have the same price today, and the price of each bond is expected to remain constant until the bonds mature.

Question 52

Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) If the maturity risk premium were zero and interest rates were expected to decrease in the future, then the yield curve for U.S. Treasury securities would, other things held constant, have an upward slope.
B) Liquidity premiums are generally higher on Treasury than corporate bonds.
C) The maturity premiums embedded in the interest rates on U.S. Treasury securities are due primarily to the fact that the probability of default is higher on long-term bonds than on short-term bonds.
D) Default risk premiums are generally lower on corporate than on Treasury bonds.
E) Reinvestment risk is lower, other things held constant, on long-term than on short-term bonds.

Question 53

Bonds A, B, and C all have a maturity of 10 years and a yield to maturity of 7%. Bond A's price exceeds its par value, Bond B's price equals its par value, and Bond C's price is less than its par value. None of the bonds can be called. Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) If the yield to maturity on each bond decreases to 6%, Bond A will have the largest percentage increase in its price.
B) Bond A has the most price risk.
C) If the yield to maturity on the three bonds remains constant, the prices of the three bonds will remain the same over the next year.
D) If the yield to maturity on each bond increases to 8%, the prices of all three bonds will decline.
E) Bond C sells at a premium over its par value.

Question 54

Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) All else equal, senior debt generally has a lower yield to maturity than subordinated debt.
B) An indenture is a bond that is less risky than a mortgage bond.
C) The expected return on a corporate bond will generally exceed the bond's yield to maturity.
D) If a bond's coupon rate exceeds its yield to maturity, then its expected return to investors will also exceed its yield to maturity.
E) Under our bankruptcy laws, any firm that is in financial distress will be forced to declare bankruptcy and then be liquidated.

Question 55

Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) One advantage of a zero coupon Treasury bond is that no one who owns the bond has to pay any taxes on it until it matures or is sold.
B) Long-term bonds have less price risk but more reinvestment risk than short-term bonds.
C) If interest rates increase, all bond prices will increase, but the increase will be greater for bonds that have less price risk.
D) Relative to a coupon-bearing bond with the same maturity, a zero coupon bond has more price risk but less reinvestment risk.
E) Long-term bonds have less price risk and also less reinvestment risk than short-term bonds.

Question 56

Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) The yield to maturity for a coupon bond that sells at a premium consists entirely of a positive capital gains yield; it has a zero current interest yield.
B) The market value of a bond will always approach its par value as its maturity date approaches. This holds true even if the firm has filed for bankruptcy.
C) Rising inflation makes the actual yield to maturity on a bond greater than a quoted yield to maturity that is based on market prices.
D) The yield to maturity on a coupon bond that sells at its par value consists entirely of a current interest yield; it has a zero expected capital gains yield.
E) The expected capital gains yield on a bond will always be zero or positive because no investor would purchase a bond with an expected capital loss.

Question 57

Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) If a coupon bond is selling at par, its current yield equals its yield to maturity.
B) If a coupon bond is selling at a discount, its price will continue to decline until it reaches its par value at maturity.
C) If interest rates increase, the price of a 10-year coupon bond will decline by a greater percentage than the price of a 10-year zero coupon bond.
D) If a bond's yield to maturity exceeds its annual coupon, then the bond will trade at a premium.
E) If a coupon bond is selling at a premium, its current yield equals its yield to maturity.

Question 58

A Treasury bond has an 8% annual coupon and a 7.5% yield to maturity. Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) The bond sells at a price below par.
B) The bond has a current yield greater than 8%.
C) The bond sells at a discount.
D) The bond's required rate of return is less than 7.5%.
E) If the yield to maturity remains constant, the price of the bond will decline over time.

Question 59

Bond X has an 8% annual coupon, Bond Y has a 10% annual coupon, and Bond Z has a 12% annual coupon. Each of the bonds is noncallable, has a maturity of 10 years, and has a yield to maturity of 10%. Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) If the bonds' market interest rate remains at 10%, Bond Z's price will be lower one year from now than it is today.
B) Bond X has the greatest reinvestment risk.
C) If market interest rates decline, the prices of all three bonds will increase, but Z's price will have the largest percentage increase.
D) If market interest rates remain at 10%, Bond Z's price will be 10% higher one year from today.
E) If market interest rates increase, Bond X's price will increase, Bond Z's price will decline, and Bond Y's price will remain the same.

Question 60

Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) If a 10-year, $1,000 par, zero coupon bond were issued at a price that gave investors a 10% yield to maturity, and if interest rates then dropped to the point where rd = YTM = 5%, the bond would sell at a premium over its $1,000 par value.
B) If a 10-year, $1,000 par, 10% coupon bond were issued at par, and if interest rates then dropped to the point where rd = YTM = 5%, we could be sure that the bond would sell at a premium above its $1,000 par value.
C) Other things held constant, including the coupon rate, a corporation would rather issue noncallable bonds than callable bonds.
D) Other things held constant, a callable bond would have a lower required rate of return than a noncallable bond because it would have a shorter expected life.
E) Bonds are exposed to both reinvestment risk and price risk. Longer-term low-coupon bonds, relative to shorter-term high-coupon bonds, are generally more exposed to reinvestment risk than price risk.

Question 61

Adams Enterprises' noncallable bonds currently sell for $1,120. They have a 15-year maturity, an annual coupon of $85, and a par value of $1,000. What is their yield to maturity?

A) 5.84%
B) 6.15%
C) 6.47%
D) 6.81%
E) 7.17%

Question 62

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 maturity. Therefore, if the yield curve is upward sloping, the required rate of return will be lower on the callable bond.

Question 63

Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) A zero coupon bond of any maturity will have more price risk than any coupon bond, even a perpetuity.
B) If their maturities and other characteristics were the same, a 5% coupon bond would have more price risk than a 10% coupon bond.
C) A 10-year coupon bond would have more reinvestment risk than a 5-year coupon bond, but all 10-year coupon bonds have the same amount of reinvestment risk.
D) A 10-year coupon bond would have more price risk than a 5-year coupon bond, but all 10-year coupon bonds have the same amount of price risk.
E) If their maturities and other characteristics were the same, a 5% coupon bond would have less price risk than a 10% coupon bond.

Question 64

Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) A bond is likely to be called if its coupon rate is below its YTM.
B) A bond is likely to be called if its market price is below its par value.
C) Even if a bond's YTC exceeds its YTM, an investor with an investment horizon longer than the bond's maturity would be worse off if the bond were called.
D) A bond is likely to be called if its market price is equal to its par value.
E) A bond is likely to be called if it sells at a discount below par.

Question 65

Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) All else equal, secured debt is more risky than unsecured debt.
B) The expected return on a corporate bond must be greater than its promised return if the probability of default is greater than zero.
C) All else equal, senior debt has more default risk than subordinated debt.
D) A company's bond rating is affected by its financial ratios but not by provisions in its indenture.
E) Under

Question 66

Ryngaert Inc. recently issued noncallable bonds that mature in 15 years. They have a par value of $1,000 and an annual coupon of 5.7%. If the current market interest rate is 7.0%, at what price should the bonds sell?

A) $817.12
B) $838.07
C) $859.56
D) $881.60
E) $903.64

Question 67

Assuming all else is constant, which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) Other things held constant, a 20-year zero coupon bond has more reinvestment risk than a 20-year coupon bond.
B) Other things held constant, for any given maturity, a 1.0 percentage point decrease in the market interest rate would cause a smaller dollar capital gain than the capital loss stemming from a 1.0 percentage point increase in the interest rate.
C) From a corporate borrower's point of view, interest paid on bonds is not tax-deductible.
D) Other things held constant, price sensitivity as measured by the percentage change in price due to a given change in the required rate of return decreases as a bond's maturity increases.
E) For a bond of any maturity, a 1.0 percentage point increase in the market interest rate (rd) causes a larger dollar capital loss than the capital gain stemming from a 1.0 percentage point decrease in the interest rate.

Question 68

A company is planning to raise $1,000,000 to finance a new plant. Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) The company would be especially eager to have a call provision included in the indenture if its management thinks that interest rates are almost certain to rise in the foreseeable future.
B) If debt is used to raise the million dollars, but $500,000 is raised as first mortgage bonds on the new plant and $500,000 as debentures, the interest rate on the first mortgage bonds would be lower than it would be if the entire $1 million were raised by selling first mortgage bonds.
C) If two classes of debt are used (with one senior and the other subordinated to all other debt), the subordinated debt will carry a lower interest rate.
D) If debt is used to raise the million dollars, the cost of the debt would be lower if the debt were in the form of a fixed-rate bond rather than a floating-rate bond.
E) If debt is used to raise the million dollars, the cost of the debt would be higher if the debt were in the form of a mortgage bond rather than an unsecured term loan.

Question 69

Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) The total return on a bond during a given year is based only on the coupon interest payments received.
B) All else equal, a bond that has a coupon rate of 10% will sell at a discount if the required return for bonds of similar risk is 8%.
C) The price of a discount bond will increase over time, assuming that the bond's yield to maturity remains constant.
D) For a given firm, its debentures are likely to have a lower yield to maturity than its mortgage bonds.
E) When large firms are in financial distress, they are almost always liquidated, whereas smaller firms are generally reorganized.

Question 70

Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) Senior debt is debt that has been more recently issued, and in bankruptcy it is paid off after junior debt because the junior debt was issued first.
B) A company's subordinated debt has less default risk than its senior debt.
C) Convertible bonds generally have lower coupon rates than non-convertible bonds of similar default risk because they offer the possibility of capital gains.
D) Junk bonds typically provide a lower yield to maturity than investment-grade bonds.
E) A debenture is a secured bond that is backed by some or all of the firm's fixed assets.

Question 71

Morin Company's bonds mature in 8 years, have a par value of $1,000, and make an annual coupon interest payment of $65. The market requires an interest rate of 8.2% on these bonds. What is the bond's price?

A) $903.04
B) $925.62
C) $948.76
D) $972.48
E) $996.79

Question 72

Bond A has a 9% annual coupon, while Bond B has a 7% annual coupon. Both bonds have the same maturity, a face value of $1,000, an 8% yield to maturity, and are noncallable. Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) Bond A's capital gains yield is greater than Bond B's capital gains yield.
B) Bond A trades at a discount, whereas Bond B trades at a premium.
C) If the yield to maturity for both bonds remains at 8%, Bond A's price one year from now will be higher than it is today, but Bond B's price one year from now will be lower than it is today.
D) If the yield to maturity for both bonds immediately decreases to 6%, Bond A's bond will have a larger percentage increase in value.
E) Bond A's current yield is greater than that of Bond B.

Question 73

Sadik Inc.'s bonds currently sell for $1,180 and have a par value of $1,000. They pay a $105 annual coupon and have a 15-year maturity, but they can be called in 5 years at $1,100. What is their yield to call (YTC)?

A) 6.63%
B) 6.98%
C) 7.35%
D) 7.74%
E) 8.12%

Question 74

Dyl Inc.'s bonds currently sell for $1,040 and have a par value of $1,000. They pay a $65 annual coupon and have a 15-year maturity, but they can be called in 5 years at $1,100. What is their yield to maturity (YTM)?

A) 5.78%
B) 6.09%
C) 6.39%
D) 6.71%
E) 7.05%

Question 75

Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) Assume that two bonds have equal maturities and are of equal risk, but one bond sells at par while the other sells at a premium above par. The premium bond must have a lower current yield and a higher capital gains yield than the par bond.
B) A bond's current yield must always be either equal to its yield to maturity or between its yield to maturity and its coupon rate.
C) If a bond sells at par, then its current yield will be less than its yield to maturity.
D) If a bond sells for less than par, then its yield to maturity is less than its coupon rate.
E) A discount bond's price declines each year until it matures, when its value equals its par value.

Question 76

Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) One disadvantage of zero coupon bonds is that the issuing firm cannot realize any tax savings from the use of debt until the bonds mature.
B) Other things held constant, a callable bond should have a lower yield to maturity than a noncallable bond.
C) Once a firm declares bankruptcy, it must be liquidated by the trustee, who uses the proceeds to pay bondholders, unpaid wages, taxes, and legal fees.
D) Income bonds must pay interest only if the company earns the interest. Thus, these securities cannot bankrupt a company prior to their maturity, and this makes them safer to the issuing corporation than "regular" bonds.
E) A firm with a sinking fund that gives it the choice of calling the required bonds at par or buying the bonds in the open market would generally choose the open market purchase if the coupon rate exceeded the going interest rate.

Question 77

Listed below are some provisions that are often contained in bond indentures. Which of these provisions, viewed alone, would tend to reduce the yield to maturity that investors would otherwise require on a newly issued bond?
1) Fixed assets are used as security for a bond.
2) A given bond is subordinated to other classes of debt.
3) The bond can be converted into the firm's common stock.
4) The bond has a sinking fund.
5) The bond has a call provision.
6) The indenture contains covenants that restrict the use of additional debt.

A) 1, 3, 4, 6
B) 1, 4, 6
C) 1, 2, 3, 4, 6
D) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
E) 1, 3, 4, 5, 6

Question 78

Radoski Corporation's bonds make an annual coupon interest payment of 7.35%. The bonds have a par value of $1,000, a current price of $1,130, and mature in 12 years. What is the yield to maturity on these bonds?

A) 5.52%
B) 5.82%
C) 6.11%
D) 6.41%
E) 6.73%

Question 79

Suppose a new company decides to raise a total of $200 million, with $100 million as common equity and $100 million as long-term debt. The debt can be mortgage bonds or debentures, but by an iron-clad provision in its charter, the company can never raise any additional debt beyond the original $100 million. Given these conditions, which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) The higher the percentage of debt represented by mortgage bonds, the riskier both types of bonds will be and, consequently, the higher the firm's total dollar interest charges will be.
B) If the debt were raised by issuing $50 million of debentures and $50 million of first mortgage bonds, we could be certain that the firm's total interest expense would be lower than if the debt were raised by issuing $100 million of debentures.
C) In this situation, we cannot tell for sure how, or even whether, the firm's total interest expense on the $100 million of debt would be affected by the mix of debentures versus first mortgage bonds. The interest rate on each type of bond would increase as the percentage of mortgage bonds used was increased, but the average cost might well be such that the firm's total interest charges would not be affected materially by the mix between the two.
D) The higher the percentage of debentures, the greater the risk borne by each debenture, and thus the higher the required rate of return on the debentures.
E) If the debt were raised by issuing $50 million of debentures and $50 million of first mortgage bonds, we could be certain that the firm's total interest expense would be lower than if the debt were raised by issuing $100 million of first mortgage bonds.

Question 80

Assume that a noncallable 10-year T-bond has a 12% annual coupon, while a 15-year noncallable T-bond has an 8% annual coupon. Assume also that the yield curve is flat, and all Treasury securities have a 10% yield to maturity. Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A) If interest rates decline, the prices of both bonds would increase, but the 15-year bond would have a larger percentage increase in price.
B) If interest rates decline, the prices of both bonds would increase, but the 10-year bond would have a larger percentage increase in price.
C) The 10-year bond would sell at a discount, while the 15-year bond would sell at a premium.
D) The 10-year bond would sell at a premium, while the 15-year bond would sell at par.
E) If the yield to maturity on both bonds remains at 10% over the next year, the price of the 10-year bond would increase, but the price of the 15-year bond would fall.