Chapter 2: Asset Classes Flashcards

1
Q

What two categories can Equities be divided into?

A

Ordinary and Preference shares

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1
Q

What are ordinary and preference shares known as in the US?

A

Common stock, and preferred stock.

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2
Q

What are redeemable shares?

A

Offered to shareholders, company can purchase them back at any time.

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3
Q

What are preference shares?

A

Less risk than ordinary, rank above in bankruptcy
Generally do not have voting rights
Receive fixed dividend

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4
Q

What are preference shares sometimes known as?

A

Hybrid securities, as they can have characteristics similar to bonds

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5
Q

What order is preference, ordinary and debtholders paid out in during bankruptcy?

A

Debt
Pref
Ord

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6
Q

How are dividends decided?

A

Proposed by directors
Ratified by shareholders during AGM

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7
Q

What can a proxy do?

A

Vote on behalf of shareholders

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8
Q

What is the nominal value of ordinary shares?

A

Represents the minimum amount that a company must receive from subscribers upon issue of the shares.

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9
Q

What are the types of preference shares? (5)

A

Cumulative
Participating
Redeemable
Convertible
Zero Coupon
shares can have any combination of these

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10
Q

What is a cumulative preference share?

A

Paid dividend and any unpaid dividends from previous years
(how can dividends be unpaid??)

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11
Q

What is a participating preference share?

A

Preference shares have fixed dividend, participating gives them the opportunity to participate in higher distributions and other liquidation events.

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12
Q

What are redeemable preference shares?

A

Company can buy back the shares at agreed price in future.
Liability for the company, counts as debt.

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13
Q

What is a convertible preference share?

A

Shareholder has right, not obligation to convert to ordinary shares
Can provide exposure to upside

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14
Q

What is a zero coupon preference share?

A

Pay no dividend, but they can redeem at a price above what they are issued

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15
Q

What does SOFR stand for?

A

Secured Overnight Financing Rate

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16
Q

What are bonds that are linked to interest rates called?

A

Floating-rate notes (FRNs)

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17
Q

What are bonds that are linked to inflation called?

A

“Index-linked”

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18
Q

What is a yield?

A

The measure of the percentage return that an investment provides.

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19
Q

What are the 3 ways to calculate a bond yield?

A

Flat yield
Gross redemption yield (GRY)
Net redemption yield (NRY)

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20
Q

What is flat yield also known as?

A

Interest or running yield

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21
Q

How do you calculate the flat yield?

A

annual coupon / price

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22
Q

How can flat yield be used to see the relationship between interest rates and prices?

A

As interest rates increase, investors want an equivalent yield on bonds.
As they have an inverse relationship, and the coupon is fixed - the price must fall and vice versa

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23
Q

What is Gross Redemption Yield sometimes known as?

A

Yield to Maturity (YTM)

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24
What does Gross Redemption Yield not take into consideration?
Taxation
25
How is the GRY calculated?
Takes into account yield including redemption amount.
26
What is the NRY?
Net Redemption Yield
27
What does NRY take into account that GRY does not?
Taxation
28
What does modified duration measure?
Volatility
29
What is modified duration?
Expected change in price, given a change in interest rates. Usually measured percent change per 1% change in the interest rate
30
What is the formula for modified duration?
(modified duration / 100) * price * percentage change don't forget it is inversely proportional
31
What is a convertible bond?
Give the holder the right to covert bond into ordinary shares
32
When would the investor choose to convert bonds into ordinary shares?
If the value of the shares exceeds the redemption value of the bond
33
Why would convertible bonds trade at a premium to their share value?
They provide downside protection in the form of redemption value if shares do not perform well, and interest payments Similar to an option
34
How is conversion premium percentage calculated?
Premium / share conversion value
35
What is the conversion ratio calculation?
nominal value / conversion price of shares E.g. £100 nominal convert to shares at £5 each = 20 shares
36
What are the 3 downsides of flat yield?
Ignores redemption flow, incomplete picture of returns Ignores timing of cash flow, time value of money overlooked If it is a FRN, the return will vary
37
What is the flat price sometimes known as?
Clean price
38
How often do most bonds pay out?
Semi-annually
39
When is the bond price equal to the flat price?
On settlement dates where the interest is paid
40
What do you use to calculate the bond price between payment dates?
Using accrued interest
41
What is the formula for accrued interest?
Coupon payment * (number of days since last payment / number of days between payments)
42
What is the dirty price?
Clean price + accrued interest
43
What is the flat price?
What is listed in bond tables for prices
44
How are months treated with ACT/360 or ACT/365 calculation?
Each month treated normally, regardless of leap year (Feb is 28 not 29)
45
In which calculation method are leap years taken into account?
ACT/ACT
46
What is a spread in bond markets?
The difference between two yields
47
How many basis points in 1%?
100
48
What are the 3 main bonds benchmarks?
Gov bond yields Swap rates (exchanging FRN for fixed market) Published reference rates e.g. LIBOR, now SOFR
49
How does the risk of a bond usually affect the spread over benchmark?
Higher risk is higher spread
50
How is the yield curve plotted?
Government bonds of different maturities Yield on y axis, time to maturity on x axis Yield curve is the line of best fit
51
What does a conventional yield curve look like?
Increasing, lower risk in short dated so will be a lower yield Short dated have more liquidity
52
When would a yield curve invert?
When investors expect significant interest rate reductions in future Often interpreted as a sign of economic slowdown as reducing rates means there is a low demand for credit
53
Which countries (4) and Central Banks (1) have attempted negative yields?
Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Japan European Central Bank (ECB)
54
What is the intention behind negative yields?
Discourage saving, to encourage lending and spending to boost the economy
55
Why haven't negative interest rates been widely adopted?
Bank depositors would switch to cash, which affects central bank profitability and control Impact long term investments Encourages "yield-chasing", investment in riskier bonds / other speculative investments
56
How can you compare nominal yields and real yields?
Compare yields on inflation linked instruments to normal E.g. index-linked GILTs. US Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS)
57
How would central bank concern about inflation affect medium and long dated govvy bonds?
Cause a fall, as they would increase short-term rates to counteract inflationary pressures
58
How can the time value of money be illustrated?
Taking account the prevailing rate if interest $100 received in 1 year in 5% rate environment is worth 100/1.05 95.24 This is called the present value
59
What is the calculation for present value of a future payment? receivable after n years, interest rate = r
1/(1+r)^n = discount rate
60
What nominal are governments bonds usually quoted on?
100 units of the currency's nominal value e.g. $100
61
What is the ex-dividend period?
A period where a bond is dealt without entitlement to the impending coupon payment
62
What is the ex-dividend period for most gilts?
7 days
63
What is the cum-dividend period?
Period where bonds are dealt with coupon entitlement
64
What are ILGs?
Index-Linked Gilts
65
What examples of indexes do linked bonds follow? (2)
RPI - Retail Price Index CPI - Consumer Price Index
66
Is the principal repayment affected in index-linked bonds?
Yes
67
How do US TIPS achieve index linking?
Adjusting the principal outstanding on the bond using CPI Coupon is based on the fixed coupon set at issue multiplied by the adjusted principal At maturity investor is paid the greater of the adjusted principal and the original principal
68
What index is being used for ILGs?
RPI Industry convention, in prospectus for older gilts
69
What is a deflation floor?
Some government bonds guarantee that the redemption payment will not be less than the original value US, France
70
Does the UK government offer a deflation floor?
No
71
When was the eight month trailing RPI changed to 3 months for Index linked gilts?
2005
72
How do you calculate the real interest rate?
[(1 + nominal interest rate) / (1 + inflation rate)] - 1
73
What was the short-term interest rate at the start of the 80's in response to high inflation in the 70's in the US/UK?
20%
74
When was the RPI changed to the CPI?
2003
75
What is the CPI-based inflation target?
2%
76
What does the PPI measure?
Inflationary pressures at an earlier stage in the production process e.g. raw materials and other inputs
77
What does PPI stand for?
Producer prices indices
78
What is the main UK measures of inflation?
CPI - 2%
79
Who sets the CPI-based inflation target?
BoE Monetary Policy Committee MPC
80
What are ZCBs?
Zero Coupon Bonds
81
What does STRIPs stand for?
Separate Trading of Registered Interest and Principal of Securities
82
What does a STRIP involve?
Trading the interest and principal of a GILT separately
83
How many separate securities can a 2 year GILT be stripped into?
5 4 x coupon 1 x redemption
84
Who can strip eligible gilts in the UK?
GEMMs - gilt-edged market makers BoE
85
What does GEMMs stand for
Gilt-edged market makers
86
What is the purpose of STRIPs?
Allows investors to precisely match liabilities E.g. coupon comes in when they need to pay something
87
What is reconstitution?
Exchanging STRIPS for a conventional GILT, with the DMO as counterparty
88
What is the maturity of; T-bonds T-notes T-bills
T-bonds >10 years T-notes 2-10 years T-bills <1 year
89
What is the different maturity names of Gilts?
0-7 years - "short-dated" 1-15 years - "medium-dated" >15 years - "long dated"
90
What is BRICS?
Main emerging markets Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa
91
How can corporate debt be divided? 2 sections
Money borrowed from banks Money borrowed from investors (bonds)
92
What is less risky, debt finance or equity finance?
Debt finance, has to be paid before dividends/buy-backs
93
What are the two ways of securing debt?
Fixed charge - Debt carries charge over a single company asset Floating charge - Debt secured against a group of company assets
94
What are asset-backed securities?
Bonds that are backed by a particular pool of assets
95
What does ABSs stand for?
Asset-backed securities
96
What are some examples of ABSs?
Mortgage loans, credit card receivables, car loans
97
What does securitisation stand for?
Packaging financial instruments together to create a security
98
What does MBSs stand for?
Mortgage backed securities
99
How do firms such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac operate?
Government firms that buy qualifying mortgage loans and securitise them and issue bonds to investors
100
How can ABSs and MBSs be subdivided?
Into tranches, with each tranche having a specific priority in relation to interest and principal payments.
101
Why do payment dates differ across ABSs?
Different products in each one, e.g. credit card, mortgage
102
What does SPV stand for?
Special Purpose Vehicle
103
How is a SPV structured?
It is a trust, and the originator of the assets (e.g. bank granting loans) sells the loans to the SPV and the SPV issues the asset-backed bonds
104
What is the purpose of an SPV? (2)
Separate entity to the originator of the assets, assets leave the originators financial statements and replaced by cash. As SPV is stand-alone entity, it remains intact even if originator goes bankrupt - increases creditworthiness of the ABSs.
105
What is the process of assets being exchanged for cash in an originators balance sheet?
Off-balance-sheet arangement
106
What is the bankruptcy protection of an SPV sometimes known as?
"bankruptcy-remote"
107
What is a covered bond?
Asset-backed bond where no SPV is created, the originators assets "cover" the bondholder
108
What can an originator do in times of crisis? E.g. 08
Transfer the troubled assets back to its balance sheet to become covered bonds
109
How do European covered bonds differ?
Usually kept on balance sheet of the originator rather than transferred to an SPV.
110
What is a secured debt transaction known as in the UK?
Debenture
111
What is a secured loan known as in the US?
ABS
112
What does a debenture refer to in the US?
Loan agreement with no security
113
What happens when a corporation issues secured debt to a large number of people?
A trustee is appointed
114
What are the 4 main UK trustee roles?
Note trustee Security trustee Share trustee Successor trustee
115
What is a Note trustee?
Appointed to represent the interests of holders of the securities Provide guidance to the issuer
116
What is a Security trustee?
For issues secured by securities, the trustee is charged in favour of the trustee for the benefit of the secured parties. Documents will dictate how it is paid out
117
What is a Share trustee?
Holds the shares in an issuing SPV in order to ensure off-balance-sheet treatment for the originator Sometimes SPVs are domiciled off-shore
118
What is a Successor trustee?
Provided for banks who need to resign due to conflicts of interest or capacity issues
119
What is the benefit of a trustee?
Single entity that acts on behalf of shareholders, rather than a many individual actions. Organised action. Reduction in costs
120
What is a representation of the interests of the bondholders?
Trustee assigned to represent the interests of bondholders, makes security more marketable paid for by issuer
121
What will a corporate trustee do?
Make sure that the issuer is sticking to all its covenants from it's issuance documents e.g. debt ratios, bonds issued
122
What are the 3 tiers of debt?
Senior Sub-ordinated Mezzanine
123
What is senior debt?
Paid first, usually has strict covenants Can be secured, has the lowest interest rate
124
What is subordinated debt?
2nd in line, higher interest rate less stringent requirements
125
What is mezzanine debt?
High risk subordinated debt, ranks behind unsecured debt. High interest rate Interest can be skipped and added to the principal outstanding Can include warrants/options so lender can get equity returns
126
What is payment in kind, a.k.a PIK?
Interest that is deferred until principal repayment
127
Who is paid first between unsecured debtholders and shareholders?
Unsecured debtholders, lenders always paid firsty
128
What is guaranteed debt?
Guarantee provided by someone other than the issuer. Usually parent company
129
What is the benefit of convertible bonds to the issuer?
Lower cost of debt and possibility of avoiding repayment if lender converts
130
What did the LIBOR represent?
The average rate at which banks offer loans to other banks
131
Why was the LIBOR administration changed to the FCA?
Banks were manipulating the rate
132
What are the two new rates in the UK and US?
SONIA - Sterling Overnight Index Average SOFR - Secured Overnight Financing Rate
133
What to FRNs usually add to benchmark rates?
A fixed margin, e.g. 175 bps - 1.75%
134
What are the 3 prominent rating agencies?
Standard and Poor's Moody's Fitch Ratings
135
Why has regulatory oversight of credit rating agencies increased?
Rated junk bonds highly during the 2008 GFC
136
What are the two categories of bond rating?
Investment grade Non-investment grade/speculative
137
How can issues be credit-enhanced to gain a higher credit rating?
Insurance scheme that pays out if issuer not able to
138
What is gross vs net interest
Gross - pre-tax Net - post-tax
139
What are the two prime examples of money market instruments?
T-bills, Commercial paper (CP)
140
What are the risks in investing in cash?
Credit risk Inflation risk
141
How to T-bills produce return?
No coupon, discount to repayment
142
Why do issuers take care to not miss CP payments?
Even delay by one day can lead to bankruptcy proceedings
143
What is the most common CP term?
3 months
144
What are the two methods of issuing CP?
Direct to buy-and-hold investors, e.g. money market funds Sell paper to a dealer who sells the paper in the market
145
What is it called when companies issue paper direct to investors?
Direct paper
146
How much would issuers save issuing direct paper?
5 bps (0.05%)
147
What does rolling form of debt mean?
New issues fund the retirement of old issues
148
What is the main risk for CP?
Refinancing/rollover risk Companies are not able to reissue CP
149
What is a repo?
Sale and repurchase agreement It involves an initial sale of a financial instrument and, at the same time, a contractual agreement that the seller will subsequently buy back the same financial instrument for a specified price at a set future date.
150
Why would a participant enter into a repo transaction?
Lower the cost of borrowing by offering government securities as collateral
151
Why would a participant enter a reverse-repo transaction?
Loaning out excess cash with bonds as collateral
152
When may a market-making firm enter a reverse repo?
When it has sold bonds short, and needs to locate bonds in order to fulfill its settlement obligations
153
How does the DMO assist in the smooth running of GILT markets?
Standing order repo facility. Allows GEMMs to enter into reverse repo transactions to cover short positions created by market making
154
How do GEMMs access the standing repo facility and what is the minimum amount?
Sign documentation, request any amount above £5m nominal
155
What is a repo equivalent to?
Short-term secured loan
156
What is a Eurobond?
Bonds that are issued and sold outside of their home country currency does not need to be the euro
157
What currency does a Eurobond need to be?
Any, just different to the home currency from the place where they are issued e.g. UK Eurobond cannot be pound sterling
158
What do Eurobonds allow corporations to do?
Issue debt without being restricted to their own domestic market Provide investors access to invest in markets/currencies outside their home countries
159
What are the 3 steps to issuing a Eurobond?
1. Issuer appoints lead manager (investment bank), underwrites and establishes details 2. Lead manager establishes a syndicate 3. Syndicate distributes bonds to its client base
160
In what form are Eurobonds issued?
Bearer form
161
How often are Eurobond coupons paid?
1x / year
162
What is it called when a bearer bond is deposited in a CSD?
Immobilised
163
What CSDs are Eurobonds settled through? (2)
Euroclear & Clearstream
164
What is a GDR?
Global Depository Receipt
165
How do depository banks assist in DRs?
Issuer will supply the ords to the depository bank Depository bank will then sell DRs to external investors Cash proceeds are then provided to the issuer
166
What is grey market trading in terms of DRs?
When DR is created, Depository Bank receives confirmation that they will receive the shares in future Even if they don't have the shares yet they can create and sell DRs This can be done for 3 months before the purchase of the ORDs
167
How are DRs registered?
The ORDs are in the name of the depository bank DRs are transferable as bearer securities
168
How do dividends work with DRs?
Depository Bank acts as an intermediary Will receive proceeds as registered owner of the ORDs Distribute to DR holders
169
What are NVDRs?
Non-voting DRs e.g. Thailand Form of capital control
170
How can an investor sell their DRs?
To another investor as DRs, or as underlying shares in home market Latter involves cancelling the DR with Depository Bank. ORDs are then re-issued. Can be done due to lack of liquidity.
171
What do warrants allow investors to do?
Purchase shares in a company at a fixed price over a period
172
Why would a company issue warrants?
Receive income from selling warrant Receive income if investor purchases shares with the warrant
173
What is a covered warrant?
Issued by firms, rather than the companies Call warrants and put warrants Traded on the LSE
174
What is the conversion premium of warrants?
(warrant price + exercise price) - share price
175
What is it called when the conversion premium is negative?
Conversion discount
176
What are the two types of real estate?
Residential and Commercial
177
Who is responsible for repairs in commercial tenancies
Tenant
178
What is the diversification benefit of property?
Usually low correlation with traditional and alternative asset classes
179
What is the liquidity downside of real estate mutual funds?
Property funds can bring in measures to limit outflows in times of crisis E.g. 12-month moratoria on redemptions
180
What is the main tax feature of REITs?
Prevents double taxation
181
What is double taxation?
If investor held company shares, company pays corporation tax and the investor would be liable to any tax on dividends
182
How do REITs prevent double taxation?
REITs do not pay corporation tax
183
What are the (2) tax-exempt conditions for REITs?
Must contain at least 3 single rental properties, with none being >40% of value REIT must distribute at least 90% of rental profits by dividend
184
Why might an investor be able to invest in through a REIT but not individually?
Commercial property
185
What risks do REITs alleviate?
Lack of diversification Liquidity risk
186
How is a REIT fund structured?
Closed-ended fund Shares traded similar to company shares
187
What is an open ended fund?
Collective funds utilising investors money to buy portfolios of investments Investors are given units in the fund
188
What are the two types of FX transaction?
Spot Forward
189
What is a spot and when is it settled?
Immediate conversion of currency at agreed price Within 2 working days
190
How do FX dealers profit?
Between the bid and the ask, spread
191
What is a forward transaction?
Deal agreed for a future date at a set exchange rate
192
What two camps do FX users fall into?
International trade Planning for future cash flows with forwards to hedge currency movements Speculation Investors making predictions on future moves
193
How are FX pairs quoted?
base currency / counter currency E.g. USD/GBP Base is always quoted in one unit
194
What is the counter currency sometimes known as?
Quote currency
195
How do market markets / dealers quote currencies?
Using a bid.ask E.g. EUR/USD, the quote might be 0.9937 / 39. So if you want to buy €100,000, then you will need to pay the higher of the two prices and deliver $99,390; if you want to sell €100,000, then you get the lower of the two prices and receive $99,370.
196
What is a cross rate?
A currency rate that does not include the USD E.g. GBP/JPY
197
What is the exception to the cross rate terminology?
GBP/EUR
198
Why would the cross rate be of interest to companies?
If they do a lot of trade with another country and receive payment in that currency
199
What is a stepped bond
A bond that has a coupon that increases over time
200
How would a GBP USD spot quote bid ask be quoted?
GBP/USD spot rate 1.555 - 1.1645
201
How would a forward be quoted?
three-month forward 1.00-0.97c pm
202
What does the pm stand for in a forward?
Premium
203
What is the premium quoted in?
cents/pennies
204
What does dis stand for in a forward?
Discount
205
What is rational pricing?
Asset prices will reflect the arbitrage-free price of asset, as any deviation is arbitraged away
206
What does interest rate parity say should be true for future and spot markets?
Spot and future prices incorporate any interest rate differentials between the two. If not then there will be opportunity for risk-free arbitrage return.
207
How would you calculate the forward rate for GBP/USD?
spot rate * [(1+US$ short-term interest rate) / (1 + UK£ short-term interest rate)]
208
What do you need to remember when doing forward rate calculations?
The interest rate is calculated on an annual basis, e.g. for 3 month forward, need to divide by 4.
209
As per what agreement were exchange rates fixed?
1944 Bretton Woods
210
When did fixed exchange rates end?
1970's Abandonment of convertibility into Gold, Aug 1971
211
What does PPP stand for?
Purchasing Power Parity
212
What does PPP refer to?
Purchasing Power Parity is the theory that currencies should have equal purchasing power.
213
What is the most widely traded currency pair, per BIS?
USD/EUR
214
What is a carry trade in FX?
Borrowing of funds where interest is low, and purchasing relatively high yield government bonds.
215
What is the definition of a CIS? (3)
* invests in transferable securities * is publicly marketed, and * is open-ended.
216
What are some examples of unregulated CISs?
Golf courses in Mexico, Wine in France etc...
217
What is an open-ended fund?
One that can issue and redeem shares in the scheme at any time
218
What are some examples of open ended funds around the world? (3)
US Mutual Funds UK's open-ended investment companies (OEICs) Europe’s sociétés d’investissement à capital variable (SICAVs)
219
What is a closed-ended fund?
Set number of shares are issued, and then it is traded on the secondary market Investment trusts/companies
220
What are the two major forms of open ended funds?
Unit trusts OEICs
221
What is a unit trust?
Professionally managed collective investment fund Investors buy units, which represent a specified fraction
222
What is an AUT?
Authorised unit trust, allowed to be marketed to the investing public.
223
What is the role of a trustee in an OEIC?
Protect the interests of the unitholders Essentially beneficiaries
224
What is the role of a manager in an OEIC?
Marketing the trust Managing the assets Maintaining record of units
225
How it the NAV calculated? (3 parts)
* the value of the trust’s listed investments at mid-market prices * the value of its unlisted investments at the directors’ valuation, and * cash and other net current assets
226
What can closed ended funds do that OEICs can't? (3)
Invest in private companies Provide venture capital Borrow money
227
What is tracking impact?
The effect that these index funds have on the market, e.g. when a new company is added to SP500
228
What are ETNs, Exchange Traded Notes?
Senior debt noes issued by banks
229
How can retail investors access Private Equity?
Through closed ended funds
230
What are structured products?
Investments which provide a return based on the performance of an underlying asset, usually index
231
What is the structured product time range?
18 months - 7 years
232
Do structured deposits and investments benefit from FSCS?
No, only deposits do - investments do now
233
What are the two types of structured investment?
Capital at risk (SCaRPs, Structured Capital at Risk Products) Principal-protected investments
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What is the soft floor?
Where an investor in a SCaRP will get most/all of their money back if an index does not fall by a certain amount
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What is a precipice bond?
Pay a set level of income over a set period Precipice is that if a reference index falls by more than a certain level the capital will suffer an equivalent loss
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How are structured products made up?
Will be different asset classes. E.g. a bond (protects investor principal) and a derivative (higher returns)
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What does a callable structured product mean?
The product can mature early if it reaches a certain level
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What is it called when structured products pay-off the underlying stays within a certain range?
range accruals pay-off
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What is an averaging value structured product?
Return is based on the average value of the underlying over a time period Can help protect against last short term dips when selling
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What is a lookback feature in structured products?
Can realise the returns based on the highest percentage rise of the underlying
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What are cash or nothing pay-offs?
The return is either paid or not based on in a particular event occurs, e.g. above x price
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What is quantity adjusting (Quantos) structured prodducts?
Protect against currency risk
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What is the yield curve a visual representation of?
Term structure of interest rates, rates from the same issuer across different maturities
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Why would a investors be willing to get a lower yield for longer term bonds? (Inverted yield curve)
They believe interest rates will be lower then
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Which countries pay annual coupons?
France / Germany
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Which countries have T+2 settlement on bonds?
France / Germany
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What are the the names for German bond maturity?
Bund - >10 year Bobl - 5 years Schatz - Up to 2 years