FIN 165 Chapter 5

Since the global financial crisis of 2008-2009, the Chinese renminbi (yuan) has become the most widely traded currency with the U.S. dollar surpassing the euro, yen, and pound as dollar trading pairs.

False

Swap and forward transactions account for an insignificant portion of the foreign exchange market.

False

The most commonly quoted currency exchange is that between the U.S. dollar and the European euro. For example, a quotation of EUR/USD 1.2174. The euro is the base currency and the dollar the price currency.

True

When the cross rate for currencies offered by two banks differs from the exchange rate offered by a third bank, a triangular arbitrage opportunity exists.

True

A ________ transaction in the foreign exchange market requires an almost immediate delivery (typically within two days) of foreign exchange

A) Spot

If the direct quote for a U.S. investor for British pounds is $1.43/£, then the indirect quote for the U.S. investor would be ________ and the direct quote for the British investor would be ________. A) £0.699/$; £0.699/$ B) $0.699/£; £0.699/$ C) £1.43/£; £0.699/$ D) £0.699/$; $1.43/£

A) £0.699/$; £0.699/$

Daily trading volume in the foreign exchange market was about ________ per ________ in 2013. A) $5,300 billion; month B) $3,300 billion; month C) $5,300 billion; day D) $3,300 billion; day

C) $5,300 billion; day

The __________ is the the mechanism by which participants transfer purchasing power between countries, obtain or provide credit for international trade transactions, and minimize exposure to the risks of exchange rate changes A) futures market B) federal open market C) foreign exchange market D) LIBOR

C) Foreign exchange market

A/an __________ is an agreement between a buyer and seller that a fixed amount of one currency will be delivered at a specified rate for some other currency A) Eurodollar transaction B) import/export exchange C) foreign exchange transaction D) interbank market transaction

C) Foreign exchange transaction

The authors identify two tiers of foreign exchange markets: A) bank and nonbank foreign exchange. B) commercial and investment transactions. C) interbank and client markets. D) client and retail market.

C) Interbank and client markets

From the viewpoint of a British investor, which of the following would be a direct quote in the foreign exchange market? A) SF2.40/£ B) $1.50/£ C) £0.55/€ D) $0.90/€

C) £0.55/€

Which of the following is NOT a motivation identified by the authors as a function of the foreign exchange market? A) the transfer of purchasing power between countries B) obtaining or providing credit for international trade transactions C) minimizing the risks of exchange rate changes D) All of the above were identified as functions of the foreign exchange market.

D) All of the above were identified as functions of the foreign exchange market.

Most foreign exchange transactions are through the U.S. dollar. If the transaction is expressed as the foreign currency per dollar this known as ________ whereas ________ are expressed as dollars per foreign unit. A) European terms; indirect B) American terms; direct C) American terms; European terms D) European terms; American terms

D) European terms; American terms

Refer to Table 5.1. The one-month forward bid price for dollars as denominated in Japanese yen is: A) -¥20. B) -¥18. C) ¥129.74/$. D) ¥129.62/$.

D) ¥129.62/$.

For individuals and firms involved in the import and export of goods and services, using the foreign exchange market is necessary, but incidental, to their underlying commercial or investment purpose

True

In general, NDF markets normally develop for country currencies having large cross-border capital movements, but still subject to convertibility restrictions.

True

Most transactions in the interbank foreign exchange trading are primarily conducted via telecommunication techniques and little is conducted face-to-face

True

Since in the U.S. the home currency is the dollar and the foreign currency is the euro, in New York USD 1.2174 = EUR 1.00 would be a direct quote on the euro and an indirect quote on the dollar.

True

Refer to Table 5.1. The ask price for the two-year swap for a British pound is: A) $1.4250/£. B) $1.4257/£. C) -$230. D) -$238.

B) $1.4257/£.

While trading in foreign exchange takes place worldwide, the major currency trading centers are located in:

A) London, New York, and Tokyo

Given the following exchange rates, which of the multiple-choice choices represents a potentially profitable intermarket arbitrage opportunity? ¥129.87/$ €1.1226/$ €0.00864/¥ A) ¥115.69/€ B) ¥114.96/€ C) $0.8908/€ D) $0.0077/¥

B) ¥114.96/€

Which of the following is NOT true regarding the market for foreign exchange? A) The market provides the physical and institutional structure through which the money of one country is exchanged for another. B) The rate of exchange is determined in the market. C) Foreign exchange transactions are physically completed in the foreign exchange market. D) All of the above are true.

D) All of the above are true

Currency trading is a service rather than a profit center for commercial and investment banks

False

The following is an example of an American term foreign exchange quote: A) $20/£ B) €0.85/$ C) ¥100/€ D) none of the above

A) $20/£

The greatest amount of foreign exchange trading takes place in the following three cities: A) New York, London, and Tokyo. B) New York, Singapore, and Zurich. C) London, Frankfurt, and Paris. D) London, Tokyo, and Zurich.

A) New York, London, and Tokyo.

The __________ is a derivative forward contract that was created in the 1990's. It has the same characteristics and documentation requirements as traditional forwards contracts except that they are only settled in U.S. dollars and the foreign currency involved in the transaction is not delivered A) nondeliverable forward B) dollar only forward C) virtual forward D) internet forward

A) Nondeliverable forward

_______ seek to profit from trading in the market itself rather than having the foreign exchange transaction being incidental to the execution of a commercial or investment transaction A) Speculators and arbitrageurs B) Foreign exchange brokers C) Central banks D) Treasuries

A) Speculators and arbitrageurs

It is characteristic of foreign exchange dealers to: A) bring buyers and sellers of currencies together but never to buy and hold an inventory of currency for resale. B) act as market makers, willing to buy and sell the currencies in which they specialize. C) trade only with clients in the retail market and never operate in the wholesale market for foreign exchange. D) All of the above are characteristics of foreign exchange dealers.

B) Act as market makers, willing to buy and sell the currencies in which they specialize

_______ make money on currency exchanges by the difference between the ________ price, or the price they offer to pay, and the ________ price, or the price at which they offer to sell the currency. A) Dealers; ask; bid B) Dealers; bid; ask C) Brokers; ask; bid D) Brokers; bid; ask

B) Dealers; bid; ask

___________ are agents who facilitate trading between dealers without themselves becoming principals in the transaction A) Central banks B) Foreign exchange brokers C) Arbitrageurs D) Foreign exchange dealers

B) Foreign exchange brokers

A ________ transaction in the foreign exchange market requires delivery of foreign exchange at some future date

B) Forward

Foreign exchange __________ earn a profit by a bid-ask spread on currencies they purchase and sell. Foreign exchange ___________, on the other hand, earn a profit by bringing together buyers and sellers of foreign currencies and earning a commission on each sale and purchase

B) dealers; brokers

A German firm is attempting to determine the euro/pound exchange rate and has the following exchange rate information: USD/pound = $1.5509/£ and the USD/euro rate = $1.2194/€. Therefore, the euro/pound rate must be: A) £1.2719/€. B) €1.2719/£. C) €0.7316/£. D) €0.7863/£.

B) €1.2719/£.

Refer to Table 5.1. The current spot rate of dollars per pound as quoted in a newspaper is ________ or ________. A) £1.4484/$; $0.6904/£ B) $1.4481/£; £0.6906/$ C) $1.4484/£; £0.6904/$ D) £1.4487/$; $0.6903/£

C) $1.4484/£; £0.6904/$

Which of the following is NOT true regarding nondeliverable forward (NDF) contracts? A) NDFs are used primarily for emerging market currencies. B) Pricing of NDFs reflects basic interest rate differentials plus an additional premium charged for dollar settlement. C) NDFs can only be traded by central banks. D) All of the above are true.

C) NDFs can only be traded by central banks

A forward contract to deliver British pound for U.S. dollars could be described either as _______ or ________. A) buying dollars forward; buying pounds forward B) selling pounds forward; selling dollars forward C) selling pounds forward; buying dollars forward D) selling dollars forward; buying pounds forward

C) Selling pounds forward; buying dollars forward

In the foreign exchange market, _________ seek all of their profit from exchange rate changes while _________ seek to profit from simultaneous rate differences in different markets. A) wholesalers; retailers B) central banks; treasuries C) speculators; arbitrageurs D) dealers; brokers

C) Speculators and arbitrageurs

________ are NOT one of the three categories reported for foreign exchange A) Spot transactions B) Swap transactions C) Strip transactions D) Futures transactions

C) Strip transactions

A ________ transaction in the interbank market is the simultaneous purchase and sale of a given amount of foreign exchange for two different value dates A) spot B) forward-forward C) swap D) futures

C) Swap

The top three currency pairs traded with the U.S. dollar are: A) U.K. pound, Chinese Yuan, Japanese yen. B) Swiss franc, euro, Japanese yen. C) U.K. pound, euro, Japanese yen. D) euro, Chinese Yuan, Japanese yen.

C) U.K. pound, euro, Japanese yen.

The four currencies that constitute about 80% of all foreign exchange trading are: A) U.K pound, Chinese yuan, euro, and Japanese yen. B) U.S. dollar, euro, Chinese yuan, and U.K. pound. C) U.S. dollar, Japanese yen, euro, and U.K. pound. D) U.S. dollar, U.K. pound, yen, and Chinese yuan.

C) U.S. dollar, Japanese yen, euro, and U.K. pound.

The U.S. dollar suddenly changes in value against the euro moving from an exchange rate of 0.8909/€ to $0.8709/€. Thus, the dollar has ________ by ________. A) appreciated; 2.30% B) depreciated; 2.30% C) appreciated; 2.24% D) depreciated; 2.24%

C) appreciated; 2.24%

Refer to Table 5.1. According to the information provided in the table, the 6-month yen is selling at a forward ________ of approximately ________ per annum. (Use the mid rates to make your calculations.) A) discount; 2.09% B) discount; 2.06% C) premium; 2.09% D) premium; 2.06%

C) premium; 2.09%

A foreign exchange ________ is the price of one currency expressed in terms of another currency. A foreign exchange ________ is a willingness to buy or sell at the announced rate. A) quote; rate B) quote; quote C) rate; quote D) rate; rate

C) rate; quote

The greatest volume of daily foreign exchange transactions are: A) spot transactions. B) forward transactions. C) swap transactions. D) This question is inappropriate because the volume of transactions are approximately equal across the three categories above.

C) swap transactions.

The United Kingdom and United States together make up nearly ________ of daily currency trading. A) 30% B) 40% C) 50% D) 60%

D) 60%

Which of the following may be participants in the foreign exchange markets? A) bank and nonbank foreign exchange dealers B) central banks and treasuries C) speculators and arbitrageurs D) all of the above

D) All of the above

A common type of swap transaction in the foreign exchange market is the _________ where the dealer buys the currency in the spot market and sells the same amount back to the same bank in the forward market A) "forward against spot" B) "forspot" C) "repurchase agreement" D) "spot against forward"

D) Spot against forward

A/an ________ quote in the United States would be foreign units per dollar, while a/an ________ quote would be in dollars per foreign currency unit. A) direct; direct B) direct; indirect C) indirect; indirect D) indirect; direct

D) indirect; direct

A confusing "quirk" of international exchange rates occurs when calculating the percentage change in spot rates from one period to another. The percent change in the spot rate from one period to another when quoted using foreign currency terms is always greater than the percent changes quoted when using home currency terms.

False

As you might expect, the foreign exchange daily trading volume in in New York City is roughly twice as large as the daily trading volume in London.

False

Banks, and a few nonbank foreign exchange dealers, operate ONLY in the interbank markets

False

Because the market for foreign exchange is worldwide, the volume of foreign exchange currency transactions is level throughout the 24-hour day

False

Currency trading lacks profitability for large commercial and investment banks but is maintained as a service for corporate and institutional customers

False

Foreign exchange markets are a relatively recent phenomenon, beginning with the agreement at Bretton Woods

False

NDFs are traded and settled inside the country of the subject currency, and therefore are within the control of the country's government.

False

Nondeliverable Forwards were originally envisioned as a method of currency speculation, but it is now estimated that 70% of NDFs are trading for hedging purposes.

False

The European and American terms for foreign currency exchange are square roots of one another.

False

The low level of interest rates around the globe in recent years, combined with slowing economic growth and new debt issuances, has had a dampening impact on the swap market.

False

The primary motive of foreign exchange activities by most central banks is profit

False

A contract to deliver dollars for euros in six months is both "buying euros forward for dollars" and "selling dollars forward for euros."

True

A spot transaction in the interbank market for foreign exchange would typically involve a two-day delay in the actual delivery of the currencies, while such a transaction between a bank and its commercial customer would not necessarily involve a two-day wait.

True

Business firms in countries with exchange controls, for example, China (mainland), often must surrender foreign exchange earned from exports to the central bank at the daily fixing price

True

Dealers in foreign exchange departments at large international banks act as market makers and maintain inventories of the securities in which they specialize

True

Dealers in the foreign exchange departments of large international banks often function as "market makers." Such dealers stand willing at all times to buy and sell those currencies in which they specialize and thus maintain an "inventory" position in those currencies

True