Random Flashcards
Long Straddle
A long straddle consists of a put and a call on the same security with the same strike price and the same expiration date. Should the stock increase, the call will increase in value. If the stock declines, the put will increase in value, making the position profitable if the stock moves in either direction.
Rule 144 Trading Rules for Affiliates
The affiliate who has held the restricted shares beyond the six-month holding period may sell the greater of 1% of the shares outstanding or the average weekly trading volume over the four weeks before the sale in any 90-day period. In this instance, 1% of the outstanding shares (125,000) is greater than the last four weeks’ average trading volume (30,000).
LO 20.f
A customer’s confirmation of a municipal securities transaction must include
Customer confirmations always reflect a worst-case scenario (lowest) regarding yield. Any possible tax ramifications, such as the bond being designated as an AMT bond, must also be disclosed. Catastrophe call provisions need not be disclosed on a confirmation. Commissions and markups/markdowns are disclosed, but not the highest yield. ** This question deals with material not covered in your LEM, but it relates to recent rule changes and/or student feedback.
LO 6.h
When an analyst adds back the current year’s depreciation to the net income, she is computing the company’s
Cash flow from operations is computed by adding the year’s depreciation deduction to the net income.
Which items would change if a company buys equipment for cash?
I. The working capital
II. The total assets
III. The total liabilities
IV. The shareholders’ equity
I only
The general balance sheet formula is assets = liabilities + shareholders’ equity. A purchase of equipment for cash would affect working capital by reducing current assets. However, it would not affect total assets because it is an exchange of one asset (cash) for another asset of equal value (equipment). Because no loan was needed, it does not affect total liabilities, nor does it affect equity.
LO 13.d
Auction Rate Securities
ARS are long-term securities, typically issued by municipalities that are tied to short-term interest rates. A Dutch auction method is used to reset a new rate, known as the clearing rate, at predetermined short-term intervals. Failed auctions—ones where no bids are received to reset the rates—are an inherent risk with ARS.
FINRA’s Trade Reporting Facility (TRF) electronically facilitates the reporting of trade data such as price and volume for
trades in Nasdaq-listed securities and exchange-listed securities when they occur off of the exchange trading floor.
FINRA’s Trade Reporting Facility (TRF) electronically facilitates the reporting of trade data such as price and volume for
trades in Nasdaq-listed securities and exchange-listed securities when they occur off of the exchange trading floor.
The OCC must receive exercise instructions for equity options no later than
5:30 pm ET on the third Friday of the expiration month.
Explanation: Although trading stops at 4:00 pm ET on the third Friday of the expiration month, the final exercise deadline is 5:30 pm ET (4:30 pm CT) that same day.
LO 10.j
A 50-year-old investor purchases a single payment deferred variable annuity with a premium of $50,000. Five years later, the value of the account is $45,000, and the investor makes a $10,000 withdrawal. The tax consequences of this action would be
no tax is due. Because Investors in variable annuities are only taxed on the earnings of the account. This account lost money—there were no earnings to be taxed.
LO 9.d
One of your clients is an executive with a corporation that covers him under a qualified defined benefit pension plan. In addition, the client has maxed out his IRA contributions. With retirement coming up in about a decade, he decides to make a $100,000 lump sum deposit to a single premium deferred annuity. Then, he will begin monthly investments of $5,000 into a periodic payment deferred annuity. He does not plan to annuitize. Instead, he will withdraw funds from the annuities as needed. When those withdrawals are made, how will they be taxed?
The earnings will be taxed as ordinary income and will be withdrawn first using LIFO. Because this is a nonqualified annuity, there are no contribution limits and, once the earnings have been received, the balance is a tax-free return of the original principal. Annuities never receive capital gains treatment.
LO 9.d
An immediate dilution to earnings per share (EPS) would be least likely to occur from
A)a 2:1 stock split.
B)conversion of debentures.
C)refunding a bond at par.
D)a 10% stock dividend.
C)refunding a bond at par.
When a bond is refunded at par, the cash used is equal to the reduction in the liability resulting in no immediate corporate EPS (the number of shares remains the same). A stock split, a stock dividend, and conversion of a debenture increase the number of shares outstanding. Because the earnings haven’t changed and there are more shares, the EPS is lower (diluted).
LO 13.d
Circumstances that will allow withdrawals from her IRA without having to pay the 10% penalty.
Distributions before age 59½ are subject to a 10% penalty, as well as regular income tax. The 10% penalty is not applied in the event of the following: death; disability; purchase of a principal residence by a first-time homebuyer (up to $10,000—lifetime); education expenses for the taxpayer, a spouse, a child, or a grandchild; medical premiums for unemployed individuals; medical expenses in excess of defined AGI limits; and Rule 72(t): substantially equal periodic payments.
LO 1.g
Municipal finance professional (MFP)
An MFP is an associate of a broker-dealer engaged in municipal securities representative activities, other than retail sales. Those activities can include the solicitation of municipal bond business. Though someone employed by a broker-dealer is not prohibited from being an elected official of a municipality, there is no requirement that an MFP must be. Being employed by a broker-dealer dealing in municipal bonds and the MSRB simultaneously would be prohibited as a conflict of interest.
LO 6.h
The preliminary prospectus will contain
The preliminary prospectus will include an overview and history of the business as well as any risks associated with it. The preliminary prospectus cannot include the effective date or public offering price (POP) because they have yet to be determined.
LO 20.c
A U.S. importer orders computer components from a Japanese manufacturer with payment to be made in yen upon delivery. To hedge against the dollar weakening against the yen before payment is due, the importer should
A)sell yen calls.
B)sell yen puts.
C)buy yen puts.
D)buy yen calls.
D)buy yen calls.
If the dollar was to weaken against the yen, then the yen would increase in value. If one wished to gain as the result of an asset’s increased value, the appropriate option strategy is the purchase of a call. As a general rule, to hedge, importers buy calls on the foreign currency, whereas exporters buy puts.
LO 10.g
Hedge Funds are generally structed as a…
partnership with the general partner as investment manager and the investors as limited partners. In general, hedge funds are exempt from registration with the SEC. Hedge funds are actively and aggressively managed, seeking superior returns—and they are best suited for wealthy, sophisticated investors. Under the typical 2% + 20% fee schedule, hedge fund managers are largely compensated for performance, not assets under management.
LO 12.a
Time value of each contract
Time value is the premium minus the intrinsic value
Mini max Underwriting
A mini-max agreement is a best efforts underwriting setting a floor, or minimum, which is the least amount the issuer needs to raise to move forward with the underwriting, and a ceiling, or maximum, on the dollar amount of securities the issuer is willing to sell.
LO 20.b
Horizontal or Time spreads
Time or horizontal spreads have contracts that expire in different months, not the same time.
LO 10.h
T-bills
T-bills pay no interest; they are issued at a discount and are direct obligations of the U.S. government. They are not callable and have maximum maturities of 52 weeks (not 365 days) or less. Most T-bills are auctioned weekly.
LO 7.a
Warrants
Warrants are corporate issues typically attached to debt offerings as a sweetener. They generally have a life of two to five years and are therefore considered long-term, giving the holder the right to purchase shares in the future at a price that is usually higher than the price of the shares when the warrants were first issued. Warrant holders have no voting rights.
LO 3.f
Which of the following collateralized mortgage obligation (CMO) tranches tends to have low extension and reinvestment risk?
A)Z-tranche
B)PACs
C)Companion
D)TACs
B) PACs have targeted maturity dates. They are retired first, and offer protection from prepayment risk and extension risk (the chance that principal payments will be slower than anticipated) because changes in prepayments are transferred to companion tranches, also called support tranches.
LO 12.d
ELNs
ELNs are debt instruments. Their final payment at maturity is based on the performance of a single stock, a basket of stocks, or an equity index. These notes can be traded OTC or on listed exchanges. ETFs trade on listed exchanges and have many of the same trading characteristics as stocks. Their portfolios can hold assets such as equity securities, debt securities, or commodities, and many ETF portfolios are structured to track the performance of a specific index.
LO 4.g