Practice Test 4 Flashcards
An independent IB must maintain adjusted net capital equal to or in excess of $35,000.
a. True
b. False
b. False
An independent IB must maintain adjusted net capital equal to or in excess of $45,000.
A hedger establishes a futures position that is opposite to his cash position. He would be most concerned with:
a. The cash price
b. The futures price
c. Changes in the basis
d. Whether the cash and futures market will move up or down
c. Changes in the basis
When a hedger establishes a futures position opposite to his cash position, he would be most concerned with changes in the basis.
Stop orders are which of the following types of orders?
a. Closing
b. Market
c. Protecting
d. Contingency
d. Contingency
Stop orders are considered contingency orders. A condition in the market must occur before the order is executed.
If futures trade at the daily limit:
a. Trading stops for that day
b. Only closing transactions are allowed
c. Only buy orders are accepted
d. None of the above
d. None of the above
If futures trade at the daily limit, trading continues. Trades will take place at the limit up price or below or at the limit down price or above, until the regularly scheduled end of the trading session.
A long hedger in T-bonds who wanted to protect his futures position against an adverse move would:
a. Buy a call
b. Sell a call
c. Buy a put
d. Sell a put
c. Buy a put
A long hedger in T-bonds would buy a put to protect against an adverse move of his long futures position.
Information contained in the CPO’s disclosure document may be furnished to the public up to 12 months after the date appearing on the cover page.
a. True
b. False
a. True
This is true. CPO Disclosure Documents may not be more than 12 months old.
The reason that the basis approaches zero as delivery in the futures is permitted is because:
a. The cash price usually rises as delivery approaches
b. As long as a difference exists between cash and futures, traders will buy the lower and sell the higher until the difference is eliminated
c. Futures reflect carrying charges
d. Cash will approach futures when there is an oversupply
b. As long as a difference exists between cash and futures, traders will buy the lower and sell the higher until the difference is eliminated
The phrase “basis approaches zero” simply means that the price of cash and the price of futures will be the same. “Basis” means the difference between the cash price and the futures price. During the delivery month, the price of cash and the price of futures must approach each other. If they did not coincide, trade users would take advantage of this disparity in the prices of cash and futures and, by doing so, would cause the price to reach a normal equilibrium. The following examples will show why this would occur.
Let’s assume that during the delivery month, the price of futures is $3.25 and the price of cash is $3.00. In this case, farmers would see that the price of futures is substantially higher than the price they could receive by selling their product in the cash market. Rather than sell for cash, they would sell futures with the intention of delivering on their contracts, thereby realizing a price of $3.25. The fact that farmers sell futures would cause the price of futures to decline. At the same time, users of the cash commodity would be unable to obtain it and would therefore have to raise their bids, causing the price of cash to rise. After a short time, cash and futures would reach an equilibrium price.
What if the price of futures was substantially less than the price of cash? Let’s assume that the price of futures is $3.00 and the price of cash is $3.25. In this case, users of the commodity could be expected to buy near futures for $3.00 with the intention of taking delivery. This would cause the price of futures to rise. At the same time, farmers would have to lower their offers in order to sell their commodity. In this way, the price of cash and the price of futures would again reach an equilibrium level.
A Commodity Pool Operator does not need to provide risk disclosure documents to participants of the pool if the pool has not started trading.
a. True
b. False
b. False
A customer must be provided with a risk disclosure document prior to participating in a commodity pool.
Churning is day trading in a customer’s account.
a. True
b. False
b. False
Churning is trading an account to generate commissions for the benefit of the broker.
If fees are determined on a per-trade or round-turn basis, a customer must receive a detailed explanation in writing.
a. True
b. False
b. False
This is false. If fees are based on any method other than per trade or round turn, the customer must receive an explanation in writing.
The prices for wheat futures appear as follows:
March 3.78
May 3.80 1/2
July 3.83
A customer goes long two March-July spreads. When the spread is liquidated, March wheat is 3.79 and July wheat is 3.85. The wheat contract is 5,000 bushels. His profit is:
a. Nothing
b. $100
c. $300
d. $500
b. $100
The results of the spread are as follows:
March:
Sell 3.78
Buy 3.79
Loss 1
July:
Buy 3.83 Spread 5 cents
Sell 3.85 Spread 6 cents
Profit 2
The net result of the spread is a profit of 1 cent. There is a loss on the March contract of 1 cent per bushel ($50 per contract). This is offset by a profit on the July contract of 2 cents per bushel ($100 per contract). Therefore, the net profit on one spread is $50. As two spreads were established, the total profit is $100.
A mortgage investor will have surplus funds in four months. He now wants to tie down the current GNMA yield. He does not want to wait four months since the yield may decline. He wants to hedge with GNMA futures. He would:
a. Go long in the futures market and short in the cash market
b. Go long in the futures market
c. Go short in the futures market and long in the cash market
d. Go short in the futures market
b. Go long in the futures market
This investor is short the cash commodity (GNMA) and is concerned that prices will rise (“yield may decline”). An investor would hedge by buying futures (“long hedge”).
Which of the following shows a strengthening market?
a. Cash increases more than futures
b. Cash decreases more than futures
c. Futures increase more than cash
d. Futures decrease less than cash
a. Cash increases more than futures
All questions consider a normal market unless otherwise stated. A strengthening market is when the basis becomes more positive or less negative. Thus if the price of the cash commodity increases more than the price of futures the basis would narrow or move closer to a positive basis.
Generally accepted accounting principles must be used in preparing the actual performance record of a commodity pool.
a. True
b. False
a. True
When preparing the actual performance record of a commodity pool, generally accepted accounting principles must be used.
A customer takes on a bull call spread position. The prices of the options are 2-20 and 5-24. The strike prices of the options are 84 and 88. The maximum profit potential is:
a. $875.00
b. $937.50
c. $3,062.50
d. $3,125.00
b. $937.50
Bull call spreads are debit spreads. Therefore, the investor bought (is long) the call at 5-24, and sold (is short) the call at 2-20, for a net debit of 3-04 (3 4/64 or $3,062.50). The maximum profit potential on a debit spread is the difference in the strike prices (88-84 or 4 points or $4,000) minus the net debit ($3,062.50). Maximum profit is $937.50.
The initial speculative margin on wheat is $500 per contract (10 cents per bushel). The maintenance margin is $300 (6 cents per bushel). A customer goes short 30,000 bushels of wheat at 3.40 per bushel. How much initial margin is required?
a. $500
b. $1,800
c. $3,000
d. $10,200
c. $3,000
The initial margin required is determined as follows:
30,000 bushels of wheat
x 10 cents margin per bushel
$3,000 margin required
At compliance hearings, “Formal Rules of Evidence” apply.
a. True
b. False
b. False
Formal rules of evidence do not apply at compliance hearings.
A customer has a spread position in pork bellies. He is short July at 38.50 and long December at 52.50. He liquidates his spread when July is at 46.25 and December is at 63.75. The size of the contract is 40,000 lbs. What is his profit or loss, excluding commissions?
a. $1,400 profit
b. $1,400 loss
c. $140,000 profit
d. $140,000 loss
**a. $1,400 profit** ##
The National Futures Association requires, for a discretionary account, that the associated person handling the account has been continuously registered for a minimum of two years and has worked in such registered capacity for that period of time.
a. True
b. False
a. True
The National Futures Association requires that all associated persons have been registered continuously for two years and have worked in such registered capacity for that period of time.
The following table lists the price of cash hogs and the price of hog futures on the dates indicated:
##
A meat packer anticipates purchasing hogs in early August. Concerned with a price rise, he establishes a long hedge by buying futures on May 6th when the price of futures is 41.20. The commission and interest costs are 15 cents. The net price of the futures is 41.35. On August 6th, the meat packer purchases the cash hogs and offsets his futures position through a sale. Based upon these transactions, what is the packer’s net cost for the cash hogs?
a. $39.85
b. $40.00
c. $40.15
d. $40.30
BLANKANSWER
The net cost to the packer for the cash hogs is $40.00 determined as follows:
Cash:
May 6 39.95
Aug 6 49.55
-9.60
Futures:
Buy 41.20
Sell 50.90
+9.70
On August 6, the packer buys the cash hogs for 49.55 per cwt. By hedging in the futures market, he profits on his futures position of 9.70 per cwt. The 49.55 he pays for the hogs, minus the 9.70 profit as a result of the futures hedge, yields a cost of 39.85 to the packer (49.55 - 9.70). Commissions and interest cost the packer .15 per cwt., thus the net cost is 40.00 per cwt.
On the Chicago Board of Trade, the margin requirement for Treasury bond futures is $3,500 initial and $3,000 maintenance. The margin requirement to sell a call or a put option on T-bonds is the premium plus the greater of:
1. The underlying futures margin minus one-half the amount (if any) that the option is out-of-the-money or
2. One-half the amount of the underlying futures margin
A customer sells a March 90 put at 2-18 when the futures market is 88-25. The margin required on this short option is:
a. $5,171.87
b. $5,453.12
c. $5,781.25
d. $6,062.50
c. $5,781.25
T-bond options are quoted in 1/64ths of a point. A T-bond premium of 2-18, represents 2 18/64 or 2.28125% of 100,000 par value, which equals $2,281.25.
A March 90 put is in-the-money if the futures price is 88-25. Thus the margin requirement is the premium plus futures margin (since it is in-the-money nothing is deducted), or $2,281.25 + $3,500.00 = $5,781.25.
Which of the following pertains to the risk disclosure statement?
It is sent to all customers, whether they are speculators or hedgers.
It must be signed by the customer.
It must contain a statement similar to the following: “spread positions may not be safer than long or short positions.”
a. I only
b. I and II only
c. I and III only
d. I, II and III
d. I, II and III
Risk disclosure statements must be sent to all customers, whether speculators or hedgers, when they open an account. The statement must disclose that spread positions may not be safer than long or short positions. The reason for this statement is to alert customers that, although spreads are generally safer than long or short positions, they are by no means free from risk. The statement must be signed by the customer and returned to the member firm.
A customer buys a T-bond contract at 88-16. He liquidates the contract at 90-10. Round-turn commissions are $30. His net profit is:
a. $1,376.25
b. $1,406.25
c. $1,782.50
d. $1,812.50
c. $1,782.50
T-bond futures are quoted in 1/32nds of a point. The investor buys the contract at 88-16 or 88 16/32 and sells at 90-10 or 90 10/32, for a gain of 1 26/32. (90 10/32 - 88 16/32), or $1,812.50. After commissions of $30, his net profit is $1,782.50.
or
buy @ 88 16/32 $88,500.00
sell @ 90 10/32 $90,312.50
$1,812.50
-30.00 commissions
net profit $1,782.50
April T-bill futures are trading at 93.79. Ms. Kogon buys an April 94 T-bill put and pays $825 for the option. The time value portion of the option premium is:
a. $187.50
b. $300.00
c. $328.13
d. $525.00
b. $300.00
Option premiums are comprised of two components, intrinsic value and time value. Intrinsic value is the in-the-money amount, in this case, the put is in-the-money by 21 basis points ( x $25 = $525). The time value is therefore the premium of $825 less the intrinsic value of $525, or $300 time value.