Investments Flashcards
what are the primary characteristics of negotiable CDs?
deposits of $100k+
institutional investors
transacted in secondary market
how is T-bill interest taxed?
taxed at federal level as ordinary income
exempt at state and local
what are main characteristics of commercial paper?
negotiable short-term unsecured issued by large corps to finance A/R and inventories issued in $100k increments substitute for ST bank financing purchased by money market mutual funds 270 day max maturity
what is the repo rate?
difference between the repurchase price and amount borrowed in a repurchase agreement
what are characteristics of banker’s acceptances?
ST used to finance imports and exports
for companies too small to issue commercial paper
taxable as ordinary income
what are Eurodollars/Eurodollar CDs?
U.S. dollar-denominated deposits at foreign banks to settle international transactions
millions in each deposit
maturity < 1 year
less liquid, higher yields
what is a bond’s call provision?
included in bond indenture and allows issuer to pay off bond principal after specified period, usually at price higher than par
what is the rating threshold for an investment grade bond?
BBB- or higher
what is a downward revision bond rating?
quality rating goes down
rate declines
yield increases
what’s the difference between U.S. treasury bills, notes and bonds?
bills - ST
notes - maturity of 2 - 10 yrs
bonds - 30 yr maturity
what is the bid-ask spread?
difference between what the buyer pays for the bond (bid) and what the seller wants for the bond (ask), allowing for transaction costs
what are treasury STRIPS?
zero coupon bonds created separating semiannual coupon payments and principal repayment portions of note/bond
interest income accrued and not paid until maturity or sale, so best in a tax-deferred account
how are changes in face value of TIPS treated for tax purposes?
increase taxed as ordinary income
basis increased to current value and stepped up in event of sale to calc capital gain
how are series HH bonds acquired?
only through exchange of series EE bonds
when is interest income from municipal bonds excluded from state taxes?
if bondholder is a resident of state/municipality that issues
what are general obligation bonds?
muni bonds issued to finance capital improvements benefitting community
exempt from federal tax
repaid by taxing power of the state
what are revenue bonds?
those use to finance any municipal facility (e.g. community airport) that generates enough income to satisfy ongoing debt obligation
backed by credit of project
maturity aligns with duration of project financed
what are private activity/purpose bonds?
part of municipal bond issue where 10%+ of proceeds of the issue are used for private business use
services debt through project revenues
define qualified private activity bonds
tax-exempt, issued by municipality where proceeds use for defined qualified purpose by entity other than the government issuing bonds
(over 95% must be used for IRC qualified purpose)
what is the conversion ratio?
par value of convertible security /
conversion price
what is phantom income?
accrued bond interest included in taxable income annually, even though proceeds not actually received
what are yankee bonds?
foreign bonds payable in USD, not subject to exchange rate risk
what does a callable bond allow the issuer to do?
escape high interest rates if market rates decline by calling the bonds and paying bondholder off
how is interest and capital gain taxed on public purpose bonds?
interest - tax-free
capital gain - included in gross income
what are the key characteristics of zero coupon bonds?
sold at deep discount from par
no coupon payments
redeemed for face at maturity
maximum price volatility and respond significantly to interest rate changes
what types of investments are attractive during periods of increased inflation?
natural resources, gold, real estate
fixed income investment values decline
define ex-dividend date
first date on which a security is traded that a buyer is not entitles to receive a previously declared dividend
what criteria is required for qualified dividends to be treated with favorable LT capital gain rates?
- dividend received from domestic corporation or qualified foreign corporation
- stock must be help for more than 61 days during the 121 day period beginning 60 days before the ex-dividend date
- regular dividends from REITs will not qualify for reduced rate, but LT distribution dividends will be taxed at reduced rate
- dividends from regulated investment company will qualify for reduced rate to extent they resulted from LT capital gain. LT gain on sale of shares will qualify
how are nonqualified dividends taxed?
as ordinary income
what happens when a stock dividend is issued?
basis per share of stock adjusted downward
ordinarily not included in income, unless stockholder has right to receive dividend in cash rather than stock
what are “rights” in the context of stock?
issued by corporation to existing stockholders to maintain their current ownership percentage of company
right to purchase shares for limited period of time below market price
trade on secondary market during subscription period
shareholders may exercise right, sell for cash, or let expire
how do warrants differ from call options?
- warrant is issued by corporation, call is written by individual
- warrant customized to fit needs of issuing corp, call includes standard terms required by options clearing corp
- warrant has maturity of several years, call normally expires within 9 mo.
what are American depository receipts? (ADRs)
trust receipts issued by US bank for shares of foreign company purchased and held by foreign branch of bank
denominated and pay dividends in USD - dividends issued in foreign currency, then converted to USD
readily available information about foreign company
liquid and marketable - ADR price corresponds to foreign stock’s price in home market
what is the net asset value (NAV)?
FMV of securities w/in portfolio - outstanding liabilities / # shares outstanding
where should client funds be invested for following general objectives? growth income safety liquidity
stock
bond
government bond
money market
what are the characteristics of closed-end funds?
subject to supply and demand, may trade at a premium or discount
traded on exchange
traded in secondary markets and not redeemed by issuing company
fixed amount of shares involved
what is a unit investment trust?
investment company whose unit are sold in secondary market but not major exchanges
units purchased, instead of shares, and sold at NAV + commission
unmanaged, passively managed
no corporate officers, board, or investment adviser
unit holders taxed like shareholders of mutual fund (cap gains, interest, dividends passed through and taxed to unit holders)
ETFs may be advantageous for investors who:
seek to invest in industry/index, but do not want actively managed securities
low cost, tax efficient portfolio
security that may be bought on margin and sold short
define characteristics of a hedge fund
unregistered, privately offered, managed pool of capital for wealthy, sophisticated investors investing in broad range of investments
actively managed
managers compensated on fund performance and typically own significant percentage of fund’s shares
risks w/ hedge funds:
leverage
short selling
higher risk investments
lack of transparency
what are the primary characteristics of a separately managed account?
diversified portfolio of individual securities managed by professional money manager
model portfolio specializing in certain area of market
minimum investment typical of $50k+
investor owns 100%
managers purchases and sells on behalf of investor, not fund
more control from income tax standpoint to buy/sell individual securities (maintain individual cost basis in sub-investments)
define venture capital
financing for privately held companies (e.g. startups, leveraged buyouts, turnarounds, expansion)
convertible preferred stock
high risk, high return
lack of liquidity, low correlation w/ equities
define private placements
company sells issue (typically bonds) to small group of institutions or sophisticated individual investors
avoid SEC registration requirements of IPO
limited to 35 unaccredited investors
unlimited accredited investors (individuals/spouses w/ more than $200/300k, respectively, also officers/directors of issuer)
what are the main characteristics of a limited partnership?
general partner controls business activities and determines distributions and has unlimited liability
LPs do not manage and have limited liability
adv: business venture participation, financing shared w/ other partners
disadv: riskier than bonds/ETFs, illiquid, sale may be restricted
what basis is used when selling an investment if no basis is elected?
FIFO
when must shares be purchased to receive the quarterly dividend?
at least day before ex-dividend date (which is one day before record date)
how is undeveloped land taxed upon sale?
dealer = ordinary income non-dealer = capital gain
what are the risks associated with undeveloped land as an investment?
rezoning
difficulty to obtain permits to build
restricted physical access
population growth anticipated does not occur
how is net operating income (NOI) calculated for rental real estate purposes?
focuses on property’s cash flow
gross rental receipts \+ nonrental/other income = potential gross income - vacancy and collection losses = effective gross income - operating expenses = net operating income