Q&A Hero

Q: The risk-free rate is 4%. The expected market rate of return is 11%. If you expect stock X with a beta of .8 to offer a rate of return of 12%, then you should _________. A. buy stock X because it is overpriced B. buy stock X because it is underpriced C. sell short stock X because it is overpriced D. sell short stock X because it is underpriced

Q: The variance of the return on the market portfolio is .04 and the expected return on the market portfolio is 20%. If the risk-free rate of return is 10%, the market degree of risk aversion, A, is _________. A. .5 B. 2.5 C. 3.5 D. 5

Q: Security A has an expected rate of return of 12% and a beta of 1.1. The market expected rate of return is 8%, and the risk-free rate is 5%. The alpha of the stock is _________. A. -1.7% B. 3.7% C. 5.5% D. 8.7%

Q: In a single-factor market model the beta of a stock ________. A. measures the stock's contribution to the standard deviation of the market portfolio B. measures the stock's unsystematic risk C. changes with the variance of the residuals D. measures the stock's contribution to the standard deviation of the stock

Q: You invest $600 in security A with a beta of 1.5 and $400 in security B with a beta of .90. The beta of this portfolio is _________. A. 1.14 B. 1.2 C. 1.26 D. 1.5

Q: Consider the capital asset pricing model. The market degree of risk aversion, A, is 3. The variance of return on the market portfolio is .0225. If the risk-free rate of return is 4%, the expected return on the market portfolio is _________. A. 6.75% B. 9% C. 10.75% D. 12%

Q: An important characteristic of market equilibrium is _______________. A. the presence of many opportunities for creating zero-investment portfolios B. all investors exhibit the same degree of risk aversion C. the absence of arbitrage opportunities D. the lack of liquidity in the market

Q: Building a zero-investment portfolio will always involve _____________. A. an unknown mixture of short and long positions B. only short positions C. only long positions D. equal investments in a short and a long position

Q: The possibility of arbitrage arises when ____________. A. there is no consensus among investors regarding the future direction of the market, and thus trades are made arbitrarily B. mispricing among securities creates opportunities for riskless profits C. two identically risky securities carry the same expected returns D. investors do not diversify

Q: Security X has an expected rate of return of 13% and a beta of 1.15. The risk-free rate is 5%, and the market expected rate of return is 15%. According to the capital asset pricing model, security X is _________. A. fairly priced B. overpriced C. underpriced D. none of these answers

Q: Consider the one-factor APT. The variance of the return on the factor portfolio is .08. The beta of a well-diversified portfolio on the factor is 1.2. The variance of the return on the well-diversified portfolio is approximately _________. A. .1152 B. .1270 C. .1521 D. .1342

Q: Consider the multifactor APT with two factors. Portfolio A has a beta of .5 on factor 1 and a beta of 1.25 on factor 2. The risk premiums on the factor 1 and 2 portfolios are 1% and 7%, respectively. The risk-free rate of return is 7%. The expected return on portfolio A is __________ if no arbitrage opportunities exist. A. 13.5% B. 15% C. 16.25% D. 23%

Q: Consider the single factor APT. Portfolio A has a beta of .2 and an expected return of 13%. Portfolio B has a beta of .4 and an expected return of 15%. The risk-free rate of return is 10%. If you wanted to take advantage of an arbitrage opportunity, you should take a short position in portfolio __________ and a long position in portfolio _________. A. A; A B. A; B C. B; A D. B; B

Q: Consider the single factor APT. Portfolio A has a beta of 1.3 and an expected return of 21%. Portfolio B has a beta of .7 and an expected return of 17%. The risk-free rate of return is 8%. If you wanted to take advantage of an arbitrage opportunity, you should take a short position in portfolio __________ and a long position in portfolio _________. A. A; A B. A; B C. B; A D. B; B

Q: In a world where the CAPM holds, which one of the following is not a true statement regarding the capital market line? A. The capital market line always has a positive slope. B. The capital market line is also called the security market line. C. The capital market line is the best-attainable capital allocation line. D. The capital market line is the line from the risk-free rate through the market portfolio.

Q: According to the CAPM, which of the following is not a true statement regarding the market portfolio. A. All securities in the market portfolio are held in proportion to their market values. B. It includes all risky assets in the world, including human capital. C. It is always the minimum-variance portfolio on the efficient frontier. D. It lies on the efficient frontier.

Q: According to the capital asset pricing model, in equilibrium _________. A. all securities' returns must lie below the capital market line B. all securities' returns must lie on the security market line C. the slope of the security market line must be less than the market risk premium D. any security with a beta of 1 must have an excess return of zero

Q: The beta of a security is equal to _________. A. the covariance between the security and market returns divided by the variance of the market's returns B. the covariance between the security and market returns divided by the standard deviation of the market's returns C. the variance of the security's returns divided by the covariance between the security and market returns D. the variance of the security's returns divided by the variance of the market's returns

Q: Research has revealed that regardless of what the current estimate of a firm's beta is, beta will tend to move closer to ______ over time. A. 1 B. 0 C. -1 D. .5

Q: The graph of the relationship between expected return and beta in the CAPM context is called the _________. A. CML B. CAL C. SML D. SCL

Q: You have a $50,000 portfolio consisting of Intel, GE, and Con Edison. You put $20,000 in Intel, $12,000 in GE, and the rest in Con Edison. Intel, GE, and Con Edison have betas of 1.3, 1, and .8, respectively. What is your portfolio beta? A. 1.048 B. 1.033 C. 1 D. 1.037

Q: According to the capital asset pricing model, fairly priced securities have _________. A. negative betas B. positive alphas C. positive betas D. zero alphas

Q: According to the capital asset pricing model, a fairly priced security will plot _________. A. above the security market line B. along the security market line C. below the security market line D. at no relation to the security market line

Q: Investors require a risk premium as compensation for bearing ______________. A. unsystematic risk B. alpha risk C. residual risk D. systematic risk

Q: Arbitrage is based on the idea that _________. A. assets with identical risks must have the same expected rate of return B. securities with similar risk should sell at different prices C. the expected returns from equally risky assets are different D. markets are perfectly efficient

Q: According to the capital asset pricing model, a security with a _________. A. negative alpha is considered a good buy B. positive alpha is considered overpriced C. positive alpha is considered underpriced D. zero alpha is considered a good buy

Q: If all investors become more risk averse, the SML will _______________ and stock prices will _______________. A. shift upward; rise B. shift downward; fall C. have the same intercept with a steeper slope; fall D. have the same intercept with a flatter slope; rise

Q: The capital asset pricing model was developed by _________. A. Kenneth French B. Stephen Ross C. William Sharpe D. Eugene Fama

Q: In a well-diversified portfolio, __________ risk is negligible. A. nondiversifiable B. market C. systematic D. unsystematic

Q: The market portfolio has a beta of _________. A. -1 B. 0 C. .5 D. 1

Q: If enough investors decide to purchase stocks, they are likely to drive up stock prices, thereby causing _____________ and ___________. A. expected returns to fall; risk premiums to fall B. expected returns to rise; risk premiums to fall C. expected returns to rise; risk premiums to rise D. expected returns to fall; risk premiums to rise

Q: Empirical results estimated from historical data indicate that betas _________. A. are always close to zero B. are constant over time C. of all securities are always between zero and 1 D. seem to regress toward 1 over time

Q: In the context of the capital asset pricing model, the systematic measure of risk is captured by _________. A. unique risk B. beta C. the standard deviation of returns D. the variance of returns

Q: The figures below show plots of monthly excess returns for two stocks plotted against excess returns for a market index. Which stock is riskier to a nondiversified investor who puts all his money in only one of these stocks? A. Stock A is riskier.B. Stock B is riskier.C. Both stocks are equally risky.D. The answer cannot be determined from the information given.

Q: The figures below show plots of monthly excess returns for two stocks plotted against excess returns for a market index. Which stock is likely to further reduce risk for an investor currently holding her portfolio in a well-diversified portfolio of common stock? A. Stock AB. Stock BC. There is no difference between A or B.D. The answer cannot be determined from the information given.

Q: A project has a 50% chance of doubling your investment in 1 year and a 50% chance of losing half your money. What is the expected return on this investment project? A. 0% B. 25% C. 50% D. 75%

Q: A project has a 60% chance of doubling your investment in 1 year and a 40% chance of losing half your money. What is the standard deviation of this investment? A. 25% B. 50% C. 62% D. 73%

Q: The expected return of a portfolio is 8.9%, and the risk-free rate is 3.5%. If the portfolio standard deviation is 12%, what is the reward-to-variability ratio of the portfolio? A. 0 B. .45 C. .74 D. 1.35

Q: What is the standard deviation of a portfolio of two stocks given the following data: Stock A has a standard deviation of 30%. Stock B has a standard deviation of 18%. The portfolio contains 60% of stock A, and the correlation coefficient between the two stocks is -1. A. 0% B. 10.8% C. 18% D. 24%

Q: What is the standard deviation of a portfolio of two stocks given the following data: Stock A has a standard deviation of 18%. Stock B has a standard deviation of 14%. The portfolio contains 40% of stock A, and the correlation coefficient between the two stocks is -.23. A. 9.7% B. 12.2% C. 14% D. 15.6%

Q: Which of the following is a correct expression concerning the formula for the standard deviation of returns of a two-asset portfolio where the correlation coefficient is positive? A. σ2rp < (W12σ12 + W22σ22) B. σ2rp = (W12σ12 + W22σ22) C. σ2rp = (W12σ12 - W22σ22) D. σ2rp > (W12σ12 + W22σ22)

Q: You are considering adding a new security to your portfolio. To decide whether you should add the security, you need to know the security's: I. Expected return II. Standard deviation III. Correlation with your portfolio A. I only B. I and II only C. I and III only D. I, II, and III

Q: As you lengthen the time horizon of your investment period and decide to invest for multiple years, you will find that: I. The average risk per year may be smaller over longer investment horizons. II. The overall risk of your investment will compound over time. III. Your overall risk on the investment will fall. A. I only B. I and II only C. III only D. I, II, and III

Q: A portfolio of stocks fluctuates when the Treasury yields change. Since this risk cannot be eliminated through diversification, it is called __________. A. firm-specific risk B. systematic risk C. unique risk D. none of the options

Q: Investing in two assets with a correlation coefficient of 1 will reduce which kind of risk? A. Market risk B. Unique risk C. Unsystematic risk D. None of these options (With a correlation of 1, no risk will be reduced.)

Q: Investing in two assets with a correlation coefficient of -.5 will reduce what kind of risk? A. Market risk B. Nondiversifiable risk C. Systematic risk D. Unique risk

Q: What is the most likely correlation coefficient between a stock-index mutual fund and the S&P 500? A. -1 B. 0 C. 1 D. .5

Q: Which of the following correlation coefficients will produce the most diversification benefits? A. -.6 B. -.9 C. 0 D. .4

Q: Which of the following correlation coefficients will produce the least diversification benefit? A. -.6 B. -.3 C. 0 D. .8

Q: If you want to know the portfolio standard deviation for a three-stock portfolio, you will have to ______. A. calculate two covariances and one trivariance B. calculate only two covariances C. calculate three covariances D. average the variances of the individual stocks

Q: Decreasing the number of stocks in a portfolio from 50 to 10 would likely ________________. A. increase the systematic risk of the portfolio B. increase the unsystematic risk of the portfolio C. increase the return of the portfolio D. decrease the variation in returns the investor faces in any one year

Q: The stock is ______ riskier than the typical stock. A. 32%B. 15.44%C. 12%D. 38%

Q: _______________ percent of the variance is explained by this regression. A. 12B. 35C. 4.05D. 80

Q: The characteristic line for this stock is Rstock = ___ + ___ Rmarket. A. .35; .12B. 4.05; 1.32C. 15.44; .97D. .26; 1.36

Q: This stock has greater systematic risk than a stock with a beta of ___. A. .50B. 1.5C. 2D. 3

Q: The beta of this stock is ____. A. .12B. .35C. 1.32D. 4.05

Q: You find that the annual Sharpe ratio for stock A returns is equal to 1.8. For a 3-year holding period, the Sharpe ratio would equal _______. A. 1.8 B. 2.48 C. 3.12 D. 5.49

Q: Which of the following statements is (are) true regarding time diversification? I. The standard deviation of the average annual rate of return over several years will be smaller than the 1-year standard deviation. II. For a longer time horizon, uncertainty compounds over a greater number of years. III. Time diversification does not reduce risk. A. I only B. II only C. II and III only D. I, II, and III

Q: Which of the following provides the best example of a systematic-risk event? A. A strike by union workers hurts a firm's quarterly earnings. B. Mad Cow disease in Montana hurts local ranchers and buyers of beef. C. The Federal Reserve increases interest rates 50 basis points. D. A senior executive at a firm embezzles $10 million and escapes to South America.

Q: If an investor does not diversify his portfolio and instead puts all of his money in one stock, the appropriate measure of security risk for that investor is the ________. A. stock's standard deviation B. variance of the market C. stock's beta D. covariance with the market index

Q: Some diversification benefits can be achieved by combining securities in a portfolio as long as the correlation between the securities is _____________. A. 1 B. less than 1 C. between 0 and 1 D. less than or equal to 0

Q: To construct a riskless portfolio using two risky stocks, one would need to find two stocks with a correlation coefficient of ________. A. 1 B. .5 C. 0 D. -1

Q: Diversification can reduce or eliminate __________ risk. A. all B. systematic C. nonsystematic D. only an insignificant

Q: The market value weighted-average beta of firms included in the market index will always be _____________. A. 0 B. between 0 and 1 C. 1 D. none of these options (There is no particular rule concerning the average beta of firms included in the market index.)

Q: A security's beta coefficient will be negative if ____________. A. its returns are negatively correlated with market-index returns B. its returns are positively correlated with market-index returns C. its stock price has historically been very stable D. market demand for the firm's shares is very low

Q: The values of beta coefficients of securities are __________. A. always positive B. always negative C. always between positive 1 and negative 1 D. usually positive but are not restricted in any particular way

Q: A stock has a correlation with the market of .45. The standard deviation of the market is 21%, and the standard deviation of the stock is 35%. What is the stock's beta? A. 1 B. .75 C. .60 D. .55

Q: You are recalculating the risk of ACE stock in relation to the market index, and you find that the ratio of the systematic variance to the total variance has risen. You must also find that the ____________. A. covariance between ACE and the market has fallen B. correlation coefficient between ACE and the market has fallen C. correlation coefficient between ACE and the market has risen D. unsystematic risk of ACE has risen

Q: The term excess return refers to ______________. A. returns earned illegally by means of insider trading B. the difference between the rate of return earned and the risk-free rate C. the difference between the rate of return earned on a particular security and the rate of return earned on other securities of equivalent risk D. the portion of the return on a security that represents tax liability and therefore cannot be reinvested

Q: You are constructing a scatter plot of excess returns for stock A versus the market index. If the correlation coefficient between stock A and the index is -1, you will find that the points of the scatter diagram ___________ and the line of best fit has a ______________. A. all fall on the line of best fit; positive slope B. all fall on the line of best fit; negative slope C. are widely scattered around the line; positive slope D. are widely scattered around the line; negative slope

Q: According to Tobin's separation property, portfolio choice can be separated into two independent tasks consisting of __________ and __________. A. identifying all investor imposed constraints; identifying the set of securities that conform to the investor's constraints and offer the best risk-return trade-offs B. identifying the investor's degree of risk aversion; choosing securities from industry groups that are consistent with the investor's risk profile C. identifying the optimal risky portfolio; constructing a complete portfolio from T-bills and the optimal risky portfolio based on the investor's degree of risk aversion D. choosing which risky assets an investor prefers according to the investor's risk-aversion level; minimizing the CAL by lending at the risk-free rate

Q: Which risk can be partially or fully diversified away as additional securities are added to a portfolio? I. Total risk II. Systematic risk III. Firm-specific risk A. I only B. I and II only C. I, II, and III D. I and III

Q: Stock A has a beta of 1.2, and stock B has a beta of 1. The returns of stock A are ______ sensitive to changes in the market than are the returns of stock B. A. 20% more B. slightly more C. 20% less D. slightly less

Q: The part of a stock's return that is systematic is a function of which of the following variables? I. Volatility in excess returns of the stock market II. The sensitivity of the stock's returns to changes in the stock market III. The variance in the stock's returns that is unrelated to the overall stock market A. I only B. I and II only C. II and III only D. I, II, and III

Q: Semitool Corp. has an expected excess return of 6% for next year. However, for every unexpected 1% change in the market, Semitool's return responds by a factor of 1.2. Suppose it turns out that the economy and the stock market do better than expected by 1.5% and Semitool's products experience more rapid growth than anticipated, pushing up the stock price by another 1%. Based on this information, what was Semitool's actual excess return? A. 7% B. 8.5% C. 8.8% D. 9.25%

Q: A measure of the riskiness of an asset held in isolation is ____________. A. beta B. standard deviation C. covariance D. alpha

Q: An investor can design a risky portfolio based on two stocks, A and B. The standard deviation of return on stock A is 20%, while the standard deviation on stock B is 15%. The correlation coefficient between the returns on A and B is 0%. The standard deviation of return on the minimum-variance portfolio is _________. A. 0% B. 6% C. 12% D. 17%

Q: An investor can design a risky portfolio based on two stocks, A and B. The standard deviation of return on stock A is 20%, while the standard deviation on stock B is 15%. The correlation coefficient between the returns on A and B is 0%. The expected return on the minimum-variance portfolio is approximately _________. A. 10% B. 13.6% C. 15% D. 19.41%

Q: An investor can design a risky portfolio based on two stocks, A and B. The standard deviation of return on stock A is 24%, while the standard deviation on stock B is 14%. The correlation coefficient between the returns on A and B is .35. The expected return on stock A is 25%, while on stock B it is 11%. The proportion of the minimum-variance portfolio that would be invested in stock B is approximately _________. A. 45% B. 67% C. 85% D. 92%

Q: An investor can design a risky portfolio based on two stocks, A and B. Stock A has an expected return of 21% and a standard deviation of return of 39%. Stock B has an expected return of 14% and a standard deviation of return of 20%. The correlation coefficient between the returns of A and B is .4. The risk-free rate of return is 5%. The standard deviation of the returns on the optimal risky portfolio is _________. A. 25.5% B. 22.3% C. 21.4% D. 20.7%