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Strategic Professional – Options
Time allowed: 3 hours 15 minutes
This question paper is divided into two sections:
Section A – This ONE question is compulsory and MUST be attempted
Section B – BOTH questions are compulsory and MUST be attempted
Formulae and tables are on pages 8–12.
Do NOT open this question paper until instructed by the supervisor.
This question paper must not be removed from the examination hall.
Advanced FinancialManagement
Advanced Financial
Management
Specimen Exam applicable from
September 2018
The Association of
Chartered Certified
Accountants
Section A – This ONE question is compulsory and MUST be attempted
1 Cocoa-Mocha-Chai (CMC) Co is a large listed company based in Switzerland and uses Swiss Francs as its currency. It imports tea, coffee and cocoa from countries around the world, and sells its blended products to supermarkets and large retailers worldwide. The company has production facilities located in two European ports where raw materials are brought for processing, and from where finished products are shipped out. All raw material purchases are paid for in US dollars (US$), while all sales are invoiced in Swiss Francs (CHF). Until recently CMC Co had no intention of hedging its foreign currency exposures, interest rate exposures or commodity price fluctuations, and stated this intent in its annual report. However, after consultations with senior and middle managers, the company’s new board of directors (BoD) has been reviewing its risk management and operations strategies. You are a financial consultant hired by CMC Co to work on the following two proposals which have been put forward by the BoD for further consideration: Proposal one Setting up a treasury function to manage the foreign currency and interest rate exposures (but not commodity price fluctuations) using derivative products. The treasury function would be headed by the finance director. The purchasing director, who initiated the idea of having a treasury function, was of the opinion that this would enable her management team to make better decisions. The finance director also supported the idea as he felt this would increase his influence on the BoD and strengthen his case for an increase in his remuneration. In order to assist in the further consideration of this proposal, the BoD wants you to use the following upcoming foreign currency and interest rate exposures to demonstrate how they would be managed by the treasury function: (i) a payment of US$5,060,000 which is due in four months’ time; and (ii) a four-year CHF60,000,000 loan taken out to part-fund the setting up of four branches (see proposal two below). Interest will be payable on the loan at a fixed annual rate of 2·2% or a floating annual rate based on the yield curve rate plus 0·40%. The loan’s principal amount will be repayable in full at the end of the fourth year. Additional information relating to proposal one The current spot rate is US$1·0635 per CHF1. The current annual inflation rate in the USA is three times higher than Switzerland. The following derivative products are available to CMC Co to manage the exposures of the US$ payment and the interest on the loan: Exchange-traded currency futures Contract size CHF125,000 price quotation: US$ per CHF 3-month expiry 1· 6-month expiry 1· Exchange-traded currency options Contract size CHF125,000, exercise price quotation: US$ per CHF1, premium: cents per CHF Call Options Put Options Exercise price 3-month expiry 6-month expiry 3-month expiry 6-month expiry 1·06 1·87 2·75 1·41 2· 1·07 1·34 2·22 1·88 2· It can be assumed that futures and option contracts expire at the end of the month and transaction costs related to these can be ignored. Over-the-counter products In addition to the exchange-traded products, Pecunia Bank is willing to offer the following over-the-counter derivative products to CMC Co: (i) A forward rate between the US$ and the CHF of US$ 1·0677 per CHF1. (ii) An interest rate swap contract with a counterparty, where the counterparty can borrow at an annual floating rate based on the yield curve rate plus 0·8% or an annual fixed rate of 3·8%. Pecunia Bank would charge a fee of
Section B – BOTH questions are compulsory and MUST be attempted
2 You have recently commenced working for Burung Co and are reviewing a four-year project which the company is considering for investment. The project is in a business activity which is very different from Burung Co’s current line of business. The following net present value estimate has been made for the project: All figures are in $ million Year 0 1 2 3 4 Sales revenue 23·03 36·60 49·07 27· Direct project costs (13·82) (21·96) (29·44) (16·28) Interest (1·20) (1·20) (1·20) (1·20) –––––– –––––– –––––– –––––– Profit 8·01 13·44 18·43 9· Tax (20%) (1·60) (2·69) (3·69) (1·93) Investment/sale (38·00) 4· –––––– –––––– –––––– –––––– –––––– Cash flows (38·00) 6·41 10·75 14·74 11· Discount factors (7%) 1 0·935 0·873 0·816 0· –––––– –––––– –––––– –––––– –––––– Present values (38·00) 5·99 9·38 12·03 8· –––––– –––––– –––––– –––––– –––––– Net present value is negative $1·65 million, and therefore the recommendation is that the project should not be accepted. Notes to NPV appraisal In calculating the net present value of the project, the following notes were made: (i) Since the real cost of capital is used to discount cash flows, neither the sales revenue nor the direct project costs have been inflated. It is estimated that the inflation rate applicable to sales revenue is 8% per year and to the direct project costs is 4% per year. (ii) The project will require an initial investment of $38 million. Of this, $16 million relates to plant and machinery, which is expected to be sold for $4 million when the project ceases, after taking any taxation and inflation impact into account. (iii) Tax allowable depreciation is available on the plant and machinery at 50% in the first year, followed by 25% per year thereafter on a reducing balance basis. A balancing adjustment is available in the year the plant and machinery is sold. Burung Co pays 20% tax on its annual taxable profits. No tax allowable depreciation is available on the remaining investment assets and they will have a nil value at the end of the project. (iv) Burung Co uses either a nominal cost of capital of 11% or a real cost of capital of 7% to discount all projects, given that the rate of inflation has been stable at 4% for a number of years. (v) Interest is based on Burung Co’s normal borrowing rate of 150 basis points over the 10-year government yield rate. (vi) At the beginning of each year, Burung Co will need to provide working capital of 20% of the anticipated sales revenue for the year. Any remaining working capital will be released at the end of the project. (vii) Working capital and depreciation have not been taken into account in the net present value calculation above, since depreciation is not a cash flow and all the working capital is returned at the end of the project. Further financial information It is anticipated that the project will be financed entirely by debt, 60% of which will be obtained from a subsidised loan scheme run by the government, which lends money at a rate of 100 basis points below the 10-year government debt yield rate of 2·5%. Issue costs related to raising the finance are 2% of the gross finance required. The remaining 40% will be funded from Burung Co’s normal borrowing sources. It can be assumed that the debt capacity available to Burung Co is equal to the actual amount of debt finance raised for the project. Burung Co has identified a company, Lintu Co, which operates in the same line of business as that of the project it is considering. Lintu Co is financed by 40 million shares trading at $3·20 each and $34 million debt trading at $
per $100. Lintu Co’s equity beta is estimated at 1·5. The current yield on government treasury bills is 2% and it is estimated that the market risk premium is 8%. Lintu Co pays tax at an annual rate of 20%.
Both Burung Co and Lintu Co pay tax in the same year as when profits are earned.
Required:
(a) Calculate the adjusted present value (APV) for the project, correcting any errors made in the net present value estimate above, and conclude whether the project should be accepted or not. Show all relevant calculations. (15 marks)
(b) Comment on the corrections made to the original net present value estimate and explain the APV approach taken in part (a), including any assumptions made. (10 marks)
(25 marks)
5 [P.T.O.
Required:
(a) Distinguish between the different types of synergy and discuss possible sources of synergy based on the above scenario. (9 marks)
(b) Based on the two different opinions expressed by Hav Co and Strand Co, calculate the maximum acquisition premium payable in each case. (6 marks)
(c) Calculate the percentage premium per share which Strand Co’s shareholders will receive under each acquisition payment method and justify, with explanations, which payment method would be most acceptable to them. (10 marks)
(25 marks)
7 [P.T.O.
Formulae
Modigliani and Miller Proposition 2 (with tax)
The Capital Asset Pricing Model
The asset beta formula
The Growth Model
Gordon’s growth approximation
The weighted average cost of capital
The Fisher formula
Purchasing power parity and interest rate parity
k k T)(k k
V
e e V
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1 – – T)) d
β
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D g) o (r g)
o e
g =bre
WACC
V
V V
k
V
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e k e d
e
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= (^) + d
( – 1 TT)
( 1 + i) = ( 1 +r)(1+h)
S S x
(1+h (1+h
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(1+i (^1 0) (
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++ib )
Present Value Table
Present value of 1 i.e. (1 + r )– n
Where r = discount rate n = number of periods until payment
Discount rate (r)
Periods
11 [P.T.O.
Annuity Table
Present value of an annuity of 1 i.e.
Where r = discount rate n = number of periods
Discount rate (r)
Periods (n) 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 6% 7% 8% 9% 10%
1 0·990 0·980 0·971 0·962 0·952 0·943 0·935 0·926 0·917 0·909 1 2 1·970 1·942 1·913 1·886 1·859 1·833 1·808 1·783 1·759 1·736 2 3 2·941 2·884 2·829 2·775 2·723 2·673 2·624 2·577 2·531 2·487 3 4 3·902 3·808 3·717 3·630 3·546 3·465 3·387 3·312 3·240 3·170 4 5 4·853 4·713 4·580 4·452 4·329 4·212 4·100 3·993 3·890 3·791 5
6 5·795 5·601 5·417 5·242 5·076 4·917 4·767 4·623 4·486 4·355 6 7 6·728 6·472 6·230 6·002 5·786 5·582 5·389 5·206 5·033 4·868 7 8 7·652 7·325 7·020 6·733 6·463 6·210 5·971 5·747 5·535 5·335 8 9 8·566 8·162 7·786 7·435 7·108 6·802 6·515 6·247 5·995 5·759 9 10 9·471 8·983 8·530 8·111 7·722 7·360 7·024 6·710 6·418 6·145 10
11 10·368 9·787 9·253 8·760 8·306 7·887 7·499 7·139 6·805 6·495 11 12 11·255 10·575 9·954 9·385 8·863 8·384 7·943 7·536 7·161 6·814 12 13 12·134 11·348 10·635 9·986 9·394 8·853 8·358 7·904 7·487 7·103 13 14 13·004 12·106 11·296 10·563 9·899 9·295 8·745 8·244 7·786 7·367 14 15 13·865 12·849 11·938 11·118 10·380 9·712 9·108 8·559 8·061 7·606 15
(n) 11% 12% 13% 14% 15% 16% 17% 18% 19% 20%
1 0·901 0·893 0·885 0·877 0·870 0·862 0·855 0·847 0·840 0·833 1 2 1·713 1·690 1·668 1·647 1·626 1·605 1·585 1·566 1·547 1·528 2 3 2·444 2·402 2·361 2·322 2·283 2·246 2·210 2·174 2·140 2·106 3 4 3·102 3·037 2·974 2·914 2·855 2·798 2·743 2·690 2·639 2·589 4 5 3·696 3·605 3·517 3·433 3·352 3·274 3·199 3·127 3·058 2·991 5
6 4·231 4·111 3·998 3·889 3·784 3·685 3·589 3·498 3·410 3·326 6 7 4·712 4·564 4·423 4·288 4·160 4·039 3·922 3·812 3·706 3·605 7 8 5·146 4·968 4·799 4·639 4·487 4·344 4·207 4·078 3·954 3·837 8 9 5·537 5·328 5·132 4·946 4·772 4·607 4·451 4·303 4·163 4·031 9 10 5·889 5·650 5·426 5·216 5·019 4·833 4·659 4·494 4·339 4·192 10
11 6·207 5·938 5·687 5·453 5·234 5·029 4·836 4·656 4·486 4·327 11 12 6·492 6·194 5·918 5·660 5·421 5·197 4·988 4·793 4·611 4·439 12 13 6·750 6·424 6·122 5·842 5·583 5·342 5·118 4·910 4·715 4·533 13 14 6·982 6·628 6·302 6·002 5·724 5·468 5·229 5·008 4·802 4·611 14 15 7·191 6·811 6·462 6·142 5·847 5·575 5·324 5·092 4·876 4·675 15
1 – (1 + ————–– r )– n r
Answers
Professional Level – Options Module, Advanced Financial Management Advanced Financial Management Specimen Exam Answers
1 (a) The foreign exchange exposure of the dollar payment due in four months can be hedged using the following derivative products: Forward rate offered by Pecunia Bank; Exchange-traded futures contracts; and Exchange-traded options contracts Using the forward rate Payment in Swiss Francs = US$5,060,000/1·0677 = CHF4,739, Using futures contract Since a dollar payment needs to be made in four months’ time, CMC Co needs to hedge against Swiss Francs weakening. Hence, the company should go short and the six-month futures contract is undertaken. It is assumed that the basis differential will narrow in proportion to time. Predicted futures rate = 1·0647 + [(1·0659 – 1·0647) x 1/3] = 1· [ Alternatively, can predict futures rate based on spot rate: 1·0635 + [(1·0659 – 1·0635) x 4/6] = 1·0651 ] Expected payment = US$5,060,000/1·0651 = CHF4,750, No. of contracts sold = CHF4,750,728/CHF125,000 = approx. 38 contracts Using options contracts Since a dollar payment needs to be made in four months’ time, CMC Co needs to hedge against Swiss Francs weakening. Hence, the company should purchase six-month put options. Exercise price US$1·06/CHF Payment = US$5,060,000/1·06 = CHF4,773, Buy 4,773,585/125,000 = 38·19 put contracts, say 38 contracts CHF payment = CHF4,750, Premium payable = 38 x 125,000 x 0·0216 = US$102, In CHF = 102,600/1·0635 = CHF96, Amount not hedged = US$5,060,000 – (38 x 125,000 x 1·06) = US$25, Use forward contracts to hedge this = US$25,000/1·0677 = CHF23, Total payment = CHF4,750,000 + CHF96,474 + CHF23,415 = CHF4,869, Exercise price US$1·07/CHF Payment = US$5,060,000/1·07 = CHF4,728, Buy 4,728,972/125,000 = 37·83 put contracts, say 38 contracts (but this is an over-hedge) CHF payment = CHF4,750, Premium payable = 38 x 125,000 x 0·0263 = US$124, In CHF = 124,925/1·0635 = CHF117, Amount over-hedged = US$5,060,000 – (38 x 125,000 x 1·07) = US$22, Using forward contracts to show benefit of this = US$22,500/1·0677 = CHF21, Total payment = CHF4,750,000 + CHF117,466 – CHF21,073 = CHF4,846, Advice Forward contracts minimise the payment and option contracts would maximise the payment, with the payment arising from the futures contracts in between these two. With the option contracts, the exercise price of US$1·07/CHF1 gives the lower cost. Although transaction costs are ignored, it should be noted that with exchange-traded futures contracts, margins are required and the contracts are marked-to-market daily. It would therefore seem that the futures contracts and the option contract with an exercise price of US$1·06/CHF1 should be rejected. The choice between forward contracts and the 1·07 options depends on CMC Co’s attitude to risk. The forward rate is binding, whereas option contracts give the company the choice to let the option contract lapse if the CHF strengthens against the US$. Observing the rates of inflation between the two countries and the exchange-traded derivatives this is likely to be the case, but it is not definite. Moreover, the option rates need to move in favour considerably before the option is beneficial to CMC Co, due to the high premium payable. It would therefore seem that forward markets should be selected to minimise the amount of payment, but CMC Co should also bear in mind that the risk of default is higher with forward contracts compared with exchange-traded contracts.
(b) CMC Co Counterparty Interest rate differential Fixed rate 2·2% 3·8% 1·6% Floating rate Yield rate + 0·4% Yield rate + 0·8% 0·4% CMC Co has a comparative advantage in borrowing at the fixed rate and the counterparty has a comparative advantage in borrowing at the floating rate. Total possible benefit before Pecunia Bank’s fee is 1·2%, which if shared equally results in a benefit of 0·6% each, for both CMC Co and the counterparty.
in situations: where the rate of tax is increasing; where a firm could face significant financial distress costs due to high volatility in earnings; and where stable earnings increases certainty and the ability to plan for the future, thus resulting in stable investment policies by the firm. Active hedging may also reduce agency costs. For example, unlike shareholders, managers and employees of the company may not hold diversified portfolios. Hedging allows the risks faced by managers and employees to be reduced. Additionally, hedging may allow managers to be less concerned about market movements which are not within their control and instead allow them to focus on business issues over which they can exercise control. This seems to be what the purchasing director is contending. On the other hand, the finance director seems to be more interested in increasing his personal benefits and not necessarily in increasing the value of CMC Co. A consistent hedging strategy or policy may be used as a signalling tool to reduce the conflict of interest between bondholders and shareholders, and thus reduce restrictive covenants. It is also suggested that until recently CMC Co had no intention of hedging and communicated this in its annual report. It is likely that shareholders will therefore have created their own risk management policies. A strategic change in the policy may have a negative impact on the shareholders and the clientele impact of this will need to be taken into account. The case of whether to hedge or not is not clear cut and CMC Co should consider all the above factors and be clear about why it is intending to change its strategy before coming to a conclusion. Any intended change in policy should be communicated to the shareholders. Shareholders can also benefit from risk management because the risk profile of the company may change, resulting in a reduced cost of capital. (ii) Proposal two: International branches, agency issues and their mitigation Principal–agent relationships can be observed within an organisation between different stakeholder groups. With the proposed branches located in different countries, the principal–agent relationship will be between the directors and senior management at CMC Co in Switzerland, and the managers of the individual branches. Agency issues can arise where the motivations of the branch managers, who are interested in the performance of their individual branches, diverge from the management at CMC Co headquarters, who are interested in the performance of the whole organisation. These issues may arise because branch managers are not aware of, or appreciate the importance of, the key factors at corporate level. They may also arise because of differences in cultures and divergent backgrounds. Mitigation mechanisms involve monitoring, compensation and communication policies. All of these mechanisms need to work in a complementary fashion in order to achieve goal congruence, much like the mechanisms in any principal–agent relationship. Monitoring policies would involve ensuring that key aims and strategies are agreed between all parties before implementation, and results monitored to ensure adherence with the original agreements. Where there are differences, for example, due to external factors, new targets need to be agreed. Where deviations are noticed, these should be communicated quickly. Compensation packages should ensure that reward is based on achievement of organisational value and therefore there is every incentive for the branch managers to act in the best interests of the corporation as a whole. Communication should be two-way, in that branch managers should be made fully aware of the organisational objectives, and any changes to these, and how the branch contributes to these, in order to ensure their acceptance of the objectives. Furthermore, the management at CMC Co headquarters should be fully aware of cultural and educational differences in the countries where the branches are to be set up and fully plan for how organisational objectives may nevertheless be achieved within these differences. (Note: Credit will be given for alternative, relevant approaches to the calculations, comments and suggestions/recommendations)
2 (a) All figures are in $ million
Year 0 1 2 3 4 Sales revenue (inflated, 8% p.a.) 24·87 42·69 61·81 36· Costs (inflated, 4% p.a.) (14·37) (23·75) (33·12) (19·05) –––––– –––––– –––––– –––––– Incremental profit 10·50 18·94 28·69 17· Tax (W1) (0·50) (3·39) (5·44) (3·47) Working capital (W2) (4·97) (3·57) (3·82) 4·98 7· Investment/sale of machinery (38·00) 4· –––––– –––––– –––––– –––––– –––––– Cash flows (42·97) 6·43 11·73 28·23 25· Discount factors (12%, W3) 1 0·893 0·797 0·712 0· –––––– –––––– –––––– –––––– –––––– Present values (42·97) 5·74 9·35 20·10 16· –––––– –––––– –––––– –––––– –––––– Base case net present value is approximately $8·62 million.
W1 All figures are in $ million Year 0 1 2 3 4 Incremental profit 10·50 18·94 28·69 17· Tax allowable depreciation 8·00 2·00 1·50 0· –––––– –––––– –––––– –––––– Taxable profit 2·50 16·94 27·19 17· –––––– –––––– –––––– –––––– Tax (20%) 0·50 3·39 5·44 3· –––––– –––––– –––––– –––––– W2 All figures are in $ million Year 0 1 2 3 4 Working capital (20% of sales revenue) 4·97 8·54 12·36 7· Working capital required/(released) 4·97 3·57 3·82 (4·98) (7·38) W3 Lintu Co asset beta = 1·5 x $128m/($128m + $31·96m x 0·8) approx. = 1· All-equity financed discount rate = 2% + 1·25 x 8% = 12% Financing side effects $’ Issue costs 2/98 x $42,970,000 (876·94) Tax shield Annual tax relief = ($42,970,000 x 60% x 0·015 x 20%)
- ($42,970,000 x 40% x 0·04 x 20%) = 77·35 + 137·50 = 214· The present value of the tax relief annuity = 214·85 x 3·63 779· Annual subsidy benefit $42,970,000 x 60% x 0·025 x 80% = 515· The present value of the subsidy benefit annuity = 515·64 x 3·63 1,871· Total benefit of financing side effects 1,774· Financing the project entirely by debt would add just under $1·78 million to the value of the project, or approximately, an additional 20% to the all-equity financed project. The adjusted present value (APV) of the project is just under $10·4 million and therefore it should be accepted. Note: In calculating the present values of the tax shield and subsidy benefits, the annuity factor used is based on 4% to reflect the normal borrowing/default risk of the company. Alternatively, 2% or 2·5% could be used depending on the assumptions made. Credit will be given where these are used to estimate the annuity factor, where the assumption is explained.
(b) Corrections made to the original net present value
The approach taken to exclude depreciation from the net present value computation is correct, but tax allowable depreciation needs to be taken away from profit estimates before tax is calculated, reducing the profits on which tax is payable. Interest is not normally included in the net present value calculations. Instead, it is normally imputed within the cost of capital or discount rate. In this case, it is included in the financing side effects. Cash flows are inflated and the nominal rate based on Lintu Co’s all-equity financed rate is used (see below). Where different cash flows are subject to different rates of inflation, applying a real rate to non-inflated amounts would not give an accurate answer. The impact of the working capital requirement is included in the estimate as, although all the working capital is recovered at the end of the project, the flows of working capital are subject to different discount rates when their present values are calculated. Approach taken The value of the project is initially assessed considering only the business risk involved in undertaking the project. The discount rate used is based on Lintu Co’s asset beta which measures only the business risk of that company. Since Lintu Co is in the same line of business as the project, it is deemed appropriate to use its discount rate, instead of 11% which Burung Co uses normally. The impact of debt financing and the subsidy benefit are then considered. In this way, Burung Co can assess the value created from its investment activity and then the additional value created from the manner in which the project is financed. Assumptions made It is assumed that all figures used are accurate and any estimates made are reasonable. Burung Co may want to consider undertaking a sensitivity analysis to assess this. It is assumed that the initial working capital required will form part of the funds borrowed but that the subsequent working capital requirements will be available from the funds generated by the project. The validity of this assumption needs to be assessed since the working capital requirements at the start of years 2 and 3 are substantial.
Cash and share offer: premium (%) 1 Hav Co share for 2 Strand Co shares Hav Co share price = $9· Per Strand Co share = $4· Cash payment per share= $1· Total return = $1·33 + $4·62 = $5· Premium percentage = ($5·95 – $4·76)/$4·76 x 100% = 25·0%
Cash and bond offer: premium (%) Each share has a nominal value of $0·25, therefore $5 is $5/$0·25 = 20 shares Bond value = $100/20 shares = $5 per share Cash payment = $1·25 per share Total = $6·25 per share Premium percentage = ($6·25 – $4·76)/$4·76 = 31·3%
On the basis of the calculations, the cash together with bond offer yields the highest return; in addition to the value calculated above, the bonds can be converted to 12 Hav Co shares, giving them a price per share of $8·33 ($100/12). This price is below Hav Co’s current share price of $9·24, and therefore the conversion option is already in-the-money. It is probable that the share price will increase in the 10-year period and therefore the value of the convertible bond should increase. A bond also earns a small coupon interest of $3 per $100 a year. The 31·3% return is the closest to the maximum premium based on the excess earnings method and more than the maximum premium based on the PE ratio method. It would seem that this payment option transfers more value to the owners of Strand Co than the value created based on the PE ratio method.
However, with this option Strand Co shareholders only receive an initial cash payment of $1·25 per share compared to $1· per share and $5·72 per share for the other methods. This may make it the more attractive option for the Hav Co shareholders as well, and although their shareholding will be diluted most under this option, it will not happen for some time.
The cash and share offer gives a return in between the pure cash and the cash and bonds offers. Although the return is lower, Strand Co’s shareholders become owners of Hav Co and have the option to sell their equity immediately. However, the share price may fall between now and when the payment for the acquisition is made. If this happens, then the return to Strand Co’s shareholders will be lower.
The pure cash offer gives an immediate and definite return to Strand Co’s shareholders, but is also the lowest offer and may also put a significant burden on Hav Co having to fund so much cash, possibly through increased debt.
It is likely that Strand Co’s shareholder/managers, who will continue to work within Hav Co, will accept the mixed cash and bond offer. They, therefore, get to maximise their current return and also potentially gain when the bonds are converted into shares. Different impacts on shareholders’ personal taxation situations due to the different payment methods might also influence the choice of method.
Professional Level – Options Module, Advanced Financial Management Advanced Financial Management Specimen Exam Marking Scheme
Marks available Marks awarded 1 (a) Calculation of payment using the forward rate 1 Going short on futures and purchasing put options 2 Predicted futures rate based on basis reduction 1 Futures: expected payment and number of contracts 2 Options calculation using either 1·06 or 1·07 rate 3 Options calculation using the second rate (or explanation) 2 Advice (1 to 2 marks per point) 4– ––– Max 15 –––
(b) Comparative advantage and recognition of benefit as a result 2 Initial decision to borrow fixed by CMC Co and floating by counterparty 1 Swap impact 2 Net benefit after bank charges 1 ––– 6 –––
(c) Calculation of annual annuity amount 1 Calculation of Macaulay duration 2 Calculation of modified duration 1 Explanation 3 ––– 7 –––
(d) (i) Discussion of efficient markets 2 Discussion of inefficient markets and volatility 2 Discussion of consistent strategy/impact of change 2 Other relevant discussion or additional detail 3 ––– 9 ––– (ii) Discussion of the agency issues 3– Discussion of mitigation strategies and policies 4– ––– Max 9 ––– Professional marks Memorandum format 1 Structure and presentation of the memorandum 3 ––– 4 ––– 50 –––
