Financial Markets and Institutions 9th Edition Mishkin Test Bank
Financial Markets and Institutions 9th Edition Mishkin Test Bank
Financial Markets and Institutions 9th Edition Mishkin Test Bank
2) Which of the following long-term bonds should have the lowest interest rate?
A) Corporate Baa bonds
B) U.S. Treasury bonds
C) Corporate Aaa bonds
D) Municipal bonds
Answer: D
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
3) Which of the following long-term bonds should have the highest interest rate?
A) Corporate Baa bonds
B) U.S. Treasury bonds
C) Corporate Aaa bonds
D) Municipal bonds
Answer: A
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
1
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5) Bonds with relatively low risk of default are called
A) zero coupon bonds.
B) junk bonds.
C) investment-grade bonds.
D) none of the above.
Answer: C
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
7) Between 1919 and 2016, when did long-term bond yields peak?
A) around 1945
B) early 1980s
C) around 1960
D) 1925
Answer: B
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: New Question
8) Between 1919 and 1990, when did long-term bond yields reach a low point?
A) around 1945
B) early 1980s
C) around 1960
D) 1925
Answer: A
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: New Question
9) A corporation suffering big losses might be more likely to suspend interest payments on its
bonds, thereby
A) raising the default risk and causing the demand for its bonds to rise.
B) raising the default risk and causing the demand for its bonds to fall.
C) lowering the default risk and causing the demand for its bonds to rise.
D) lowering the default risk and causing the demand for its bonds to fall.
Answer: B
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
2
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10) (I) If a corporation suffers big losses, the demand for its bonds will rise because of the higher
interest rates the firm must pay.
(II) The spread between the interest rates on bonds with default risk and default-free bonds is
called the risk premium.
A) (I) is true, (II) false.
B) (I) is false, (II) true.
C) Both are true.
D) Both are false.
Answer: B
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
11) Holding everything else constant, if a corporation begins to suffer large losses, then the
default risk on its bonds will ________ and the expected return on those bonds will ________.
A) increase; increase
B) decrease; increase
C) increase; decrease
D) decrease; decrease
Answer: C
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
12) Holding everything else the same, if a corporation's earnings rise, then the default risk on its
bonds will ________ and the expected return on those bonds will ________.
A) increase; decrease
B) decrease; decrease
C) increase; increase
D) decrease; increase
Answer: D
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
13) If a corporation begins to suffer large losses, then the default risk on its bonds will ________
and the equilibrium interest rate on these bonds will ________.
A) increase; decrease
B) decrease; increase
C) increase; increase
D) decrease; decrease
Answer: C
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
3
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14) If a corporation's earnings rise, then the default risk on its bonds will ________ and the
equilibrium interest rate on these bonds will ________.
A) increase; decrease
B) decrease; decrease
C) increase; increase
D) decrease; increase
Answer: B
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
15) When the default risk on corporate bonds decreases, other things equal, the demand curve for
corporate bonds shifts to the ________ and the demand curve for Treasury bonds shifts to the
________.
A) right; right
B) right; left
C) left; left
D) left; right
Answer: B
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
16) (I) An increase in default risk on corporate bonds shifts the demand curve for corporate
bonds to the right.
(II) An increase in default risk on corporate bonds shifts the demand curve for Treasury bonds to
the left.
A) (I) is true, (II) false.
B) (I) is false, (II) true.
C) Both are true.
D) Both are false.
Answer: D
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
17) (I) An increase in default risk on corporate bonds shifts the demand curve for corporate
bonds to the left. (II) An increase in default risk on corporate bonds shifts the demand curve for
Treasury bonds to the right.
A) (I) is true, (II) false.
B) (I) is false, (II) true.
C) Both are true.
D) Both are false.
Answer: C
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
4
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18) The spread between interest rates on low-quality corporate bonds and U.S. government
bonds ________ during the Great Depression.
A) was reversed
B) narrowed significantly
C) widened significantly
D) did not change
Answer: C
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
19) The spread between the interest rates on bonds with default risk and default-free bonds, both
of the same maturity, is called the
A) rate premium.
B) bond premium.
C) risk premium.
D) market premium.
Answer: C
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: New Question
20) As a result of the subprime collapse, the demand for low -quality corporate bonds ________,
the demand for high-quality Treasury bonds ________, and the risk spread ________.
A) increased; decreased; was unchanged
B) decreased; increased; increased
C) increased; decreased; decreased
D) decreased; increased; was unchanged
Answer: B
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
5
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22) If Moody's or Standard and Poor's downgrades its rating on a corporate bond, the demand for
the bond ________ and its yield ________.
A) increases; decreases
B) decreases; increases
C) increases; increases
D) decreases; decreases
Answer: B
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
24) (I) The risk premium widens as the default risk on corporate bonds increases.
(II) The risk premium widens as corporate bonds become less liquid.
A) (I) is true, (II) false.
B) (I) is false, (II) true.
C) Both are true.
D) Both are false.
Answer: C
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
25) When the corporate bond market becomes less liquid, other things equal, the demand curve
for corporate bonds shifts to the ________ and the demand curve for Treasury bonds shifts to the
________.
A) right; right
B) right; left
C) left; left
D) left; right
Answer: D
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
6
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26) When the corporate bond market becomes more liquid, other things equal, the demand curve
for corporate bonds shifts to the ________ and the demand curve for Treasury bonds shifts to the
________.
A) right; right
B) right; left
C) left; left
D) left; right
Answer: B
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
27) (I) If a corporate bond becomes less liquid, the demand for the bond will fall, causing the
interest rate to rise.
(II) If a corporate bond becomes less liquid, the demand for Treasury bonds does not change.
A) (I) is true, (II) false.
B) (I) is false, (II) true.
C) Both are true.
D) Both are false.
Answer: A
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
28) (I) If a corporate bond becomes less liquid, the interest rate on the bond will fall.
(II) If a corporate bond becomes less liquid, the interest rate on Treasury bonds will fall.
A) (I) is true, (II) false.
B) (I) is false, (II) true.
C) Both are true.
D) Both are false.
Answer: B
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
7
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30) If income tax rates rise, then
A) the prices of municipal bonds will fall.
B) the prices of Treasury bonds will rise.
C) the interest rate on Treasury bonds will rise.
D) the interest rate on municipal bonds will rise.
Answer: C
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
31) ________ are investment advisory firms that rate the quality of corporate and municipal
bonds in terms of probability of default.
A) Financial institutions
B) Credit-rating agencies
C) Securities companies
D) none of the above
Answer: B
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
32) If a bond has a favorable tax treatment, its required interest rate (all else equal)
A) will be higher.
B) will not be affected.
C) will be lower.
D) all of the above could happen.
Answer: C
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
33) Based on the expectations hypothesis, the steep upward sloping yield curve in June of 2013
indicted that short-term rates would ________ in the future.
A) climb
B) fall
C) remain the same
D) change in a random fashion
Answer: A
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
34) A bond with default risk will always have a ________ risk premium, and an increase in its
default risk will raise the risk premium.
A) positive
B) negative
C) unpredictable
D) minimal
Answer: A
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
8
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35) An increase in marginal tax rates would likely have the effect of ________ the demand for
municipal bonds and ________ the demand for U.S. government bonds.
A) increasing; increasing
B) increasing; decreasing
C) decreasing; increasing
D) decreasing; decreasing
Answer: B
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
36) A decrease in marginal tax rates would likely have the effect of ________ the demand for
municipal bonds and ________ the demand for U.S. government bonds.
A) increasing; increasing
B) increasing; decreasing
C) decreasing; increasing
D) decreasing; decreasing
Answer: C
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
9
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39) When a municipal bond is given tax-free status, the demand for municipal bonds shifts
________, causing the interest rate on the bond to ________.
A) leftward; rise
B) leftward; fall
C) rightward; rise
D) rightward; fall
Answer: D
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
40) When a municipal bond is given tax-free status, the demand for Treasury bonds shifts
________, and the interest rate on Treasury bonds ________.
A) leftward; rises
B) leftward; falls
C) rightward; rises
D) rightward; falls
Answer: A
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
41) If municipal bonds were to lose their tax-free status, then the demand for Treasury bonds
would shift ________, and the interest rate on Treasury bonds would ________.
A) rightward; fall
B) rightward; rise
C) leftward; fall
D) leftward; rise
Answer: A
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
42) The Bush tax cut passed in 2001 reduces the top income tax bracket from 39 percent to 35
percent over the next ten years. As a result of this tax cut, the demand for municipal bonds
should shift to the ________ and the interest rate on municipal bonds should ________.
A) right; decline
B) right; increase
C) left; decline
D) left; increase
Answer: D
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
10
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43) A bond rating of Aa or AA would mean that the quality of the bond is
A) the highest.
B) high.
C) medium grade.
D) speculative.
Answer: B
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
45) As of 2016, the debt of Microsoft and Johnson & Johnson both had ________ ratings from
Standard and Poor's.
A) AAA
B) AA
C) A
D) BBB
Answer: A
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: New Question
46) ________ bonds are the most liquid of all long-term bonds.
A) Callable
B) Municipal
C) Corporate Aaa
D) U.S. Treasury
Answer: D
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
11
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48) By the end of July 2007, the interest rate on Baa-rated bonds rose by 280 basis points. At the
same time, the interest rate on Treasury bonds
A) also rose by about 280 basis points.
B) remained unchanged.
C) rose as well, but only by 100 basis points.
D) fell by 80 basis points.
Answer: D
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: New Question
50) The relationship among interest rates on bonds with identical default risk but different
maturities is called the
A) time-risk structure of interest rates.
B) liquidity structure of interest rates.
C) yield curve.
D) bond demand curve.
Answer: C
Topic: Chapter 5.2 Term Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
12
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52) Typically, yield curves are
A) gently upward-sloping.
B) gently downward-sloping.
C) flat.
D) bowl shaped.
E) mound shaped.
Answer: A
Topic: Chapter 5.2 Term Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
54) As shown in the text, the yield curve in May of 2016 was
A) upward-sloping.
B) downward-sloping.
C) flat.
D) bowl shaped.
E) mound shaped.
Answer: A
Topic: Chapter 5.2 Term Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: New Question
13
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56) Economists' attempts to explain the term structure of interest rates
A) illustrate how economists modify theories to improve them when they are inconsistent with
the empirical evidence.
B) illustrate how economists continue to accept theories that fail to explain observed behavior of
interest rate movements.
C) prove that the real world is a special case that tends to get short shrift in theoretical models.
D) have proved entirely unsatisfactory to date.
Answer: A
Topic: Chapter 5.2 Term Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
14
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60) According to the expectations theory of the term structure,
A) yield curves should be equally likely to slope downward as to slope upward.
B) when the yield curve is steeply upward-sloping, short-term interest rates are expected to rise
in the future.
C) when the yield curve is downward-sloping, short-term interest rates are expected to remain
relatively stable in the future.
D) all of the above.
E) only A and B of the above.
Answer: E
Topic: Chapter 5.2 Term Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
61) If the expected path of one-year interest rates over the next four years is 5 percent, 4 percent,
2 percent, and 1 percent, then the pure expectations theory predicts that today's interest rate on
the four-year bond is
A) 1 percent.
B) 2 percent.
C) 4 percent.
D) none of the above.
Answer: D
Topic: Chapter 5.2 Term Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
62) If the expected path of one-year interest rates over the next five years is 1 percent, 2 percent,
3 percent, 4 percent, and 5 percent, then the pure expectations theory predicts that the bond with
the highest interest rate today is the one with a maturity of
A) one year.
B) two years.
C) three years.
D) four years.
E) five years.
Answer: E
Topic: Chapter 5.2 Term Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
63) If the expected path of one-year interest rates over the next five years is 2 percent, 4 percent,
1 percent, 4 percent, and 3 percent, then the pure expectations theory predicts that the bond with
the lowest interest rate today is the one with a maturity of
A) one year.
B) two years.
C) three years.
D) four years.
Answer: A
Topic: Chapter 5.2 Term Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
15
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64) According to the market segmentation theory of the term structure,
A) the interest rate for bonds of one maturity is determined by the supply and demand for bonds
of that maturity.
B) bonds of one maturity are not substitutes for bonds of other maturities; therefore, interest rates
on bonds of different maturities do not move together over time.
C) investors' strong preference for short-term relative to long-term bonds explains why yield
curves typically slope upward.
D) all of the above.
E) none of the above.
Answer: D
Topic: Chapter 5.2 Term Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
70) If the yield curve slope is flat, the liquidity premium theory indicates that the market is
predicting
A) a mild rise in short-term interest rates in the near future and a mild decline further out in the
future.
B) constant short-term interest rates in the near future and further out in the future.
C) a mild decline in short-term interest rates in the near future and a continuing mild decline
further out in the future.
D) constant short-term interest rates in the near future and a mild decline further out in the future.
Answer: C
Topic: Chapter 5.2 Term Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
17
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71) If the yield curve has a mild upward slope, the liquidity premium theory indicates that the
market is predicting
A) a rise in short-term interest rates in the near future and a decline further out in the future.
B) constant short-term interest rates in the near future and further out in the future.
C) a decline in short-term interest rates in the near future and a rise further out in the future.
D) a decline in short-term interest rates in the near future and an even steeper decline further out
in the future.
Answer: B
Topic: Chapter 5.2 Term Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
72) According to the liquidity premium theory of the term structure, a downward-sloping yield
curve indicates that short-term interest rates are expected to
A) rise in the future.
B) remain unchanged in the future.
C) decline moderately in the future.
D) decline sharply in the future.
Answer: D
Topic: Chapter 5.2 Term Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
73) According to the liquidity premium theory of the term structure, when the yield curve has its
usual slope, the market expects
A) short-term interest rates to rise sharply.
B) short-term interest rates to drop sharply.
C) short-term interest rates to stay near their current levels.
D) none of the above.
Answer: C
Topic: Chapter 5.2 Term Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
74) In actual practice, short-term interest rates are just as likely to fall as to rise; this is the major
shortcoming of the
A) market segmentation theory.
B) expectations theory.
C) liquidity premium theory.
D) separable markets theory.
Answer: B
Topic: Chapter 5.2 Term Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
18
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75) Which theory of the term structure proposes that bonds of different maturities are not
substitutes for one another?
A) Market segmentation theory
B) Expectations theory
C) Liquidity premium theory
D) Separable markets theory
Answer: A
Topic: Chapter 5.2 Term Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
77) Since yield curves are usually upward sloping, the ________ indicates that, on average,
people tend to prefer holding short-term bonds to long-term bonds.
A) market segmentation theory
B) expectations theory
C) liquidity premium theory
D) both A and B of the above
E) both A and C of the above
Answer: E
Topic: Chapter 5.2 Term Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
78) ________ cannot explain the empirical fact that interest rates on bonds of different maturities
tend to move together.
A) The market segmentation theory
B) The expectations theory
C) The liquidity premium theory
D) Both A and B of the above
E) Both A and C of the above
Answer: A
Topic: Chapter 5.2 Term Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
19
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79) Of the four theories that explain how interest rates on bonds with different terms to maturity
are related, the one that views long-term interest rates as equaling the average of future short-
term rates expected to occur over the life of the bond is the
A) pure expectations theory.
B) preferred habitat theory.
C) liquidity premium theory.
D) segmented markets theory.
Answer: A
Topic: Chapter 5.2 Term Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
80) Of the four theories that explain how interest rates on bonds with different terms to maturity
are related, the one that assumes that bonds of different maturities are not substitutes for one
another is the
A) expectations theory.
B) segmented markets theory.
C) liquidity premium theory.
D) preferred habitat theory.
Answer: B
Topic: Chapter 5.2 Term Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
81) A moderately upward-sloping yield curve indicates that short-term interest rates are expected
to
A) neither rise nor fall in the near future.
B) remain relatively unchanged, but that long-term rates are expected to fall.
C) neither rise nor fall, but that long-term rates are expected to rise moderately.
D) rise moderately in the near future.
Answer: A
Topic: Chapter 5.2 Term Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
82) A steep upward-sloping yield curve indicates that short-term interest rates are expected to
A) neither rise nor fall in the near future.
B) remain relatively unchanged, but that long-term rates are expected to fall.
C) neither rise nor fall, but that long-term rates are expected to rise moderately.
D) rise moderately in the near future.
Answer: D
Topic: Chapter 5.2 Term Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
20
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83) The ________ theory is the most widely accepted theory of the term structure of interest
rates because it explains the major empirical facts about the term structure so well.
A) liquidity premium
B) market segmentation
C) expectations
D) none of the above
Answer: A
Topic: Chapter 5.2 Term Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
84) Closely related to the ________ is the preferred habitat theory, which takes a somewhat less
direct approach to modifying the expectations hypothesis but comes to a similar conclusion.
A) liquidity premium theory
B) expectations theory
C) market segmentation theory
D) supply theory
Answer: A
Topic: Chapter 5.2 Term Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
5.2 True/False
1) The risk structure of interest rates describes the relationship between the interest rates of
different bonds with the same maturities.
Answer: TRUE
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
2) Following the subprime collapse, the spread (difference) between the interest rates on Baa
bonds and Treasury bonds widened.
Answer: TRUE
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
3) When a bond defaults, the issuer of the bond is unable or unwilling to make interest payments
when promised or to pay off the face value when the bond matures.
Answer: TRUE
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: New Question
4) The risk premium on corporate bonds becomes smaller as the liquidity of the bonds falls.
Answer: FALSE
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
21
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5) An increase in income tax rates will cause the interest rates on tax-exempt municipal bonds to
fall relative to the interest rate on taxable corporate securities.
Answer: TRUE
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
6) Bonds with the lowest risk of default are often referred to as junk bonds.
Answer: FALSE
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
7) It is impossible for default-free bonds to default, so their risk has no impact on bond markets.
Answer: FALSE
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: New Question
8) A bond with default risk will always have a positive risk premium, and an increase in its
default risk will
raise its risk premium.
Answer: TRUE
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: New Question
9) The spread between the interest rates on bonds with default risk and default-free bonds is
called the risk premium.
Answer: FALSE
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
10) With the Obama tax increase that repealed the Bush tax cuts for high-income tax payers in
2013, the after-tax expected return on tax-free municipal bonds relative to Treasury bonds
decreases.
Answer: FALSE
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
11) Risk, liquidity, and income tax rules all play a role in determining the risk structure of
interest rates.
Answer: TRUE
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
12) An increase in the marginal tax rate would likely increase the demand for municipal bonds,
and decrease the demand for U.S. government bonds.
Answer: TRUE
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
22
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13) Risk occurs when the issuer of the bond is unable or unwilling to make interest payments
when promised or pay off the face value when the bond matures.
Answer: FALSE
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
14) During the budget negotiations in Congress in 1995-1996, and then again in 2011-2013, the
Republicans threatened to let Treasury bonds default, and this had an impact on the bond market.
Answer: TRUE
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
15) The term structure of interest rates describes how interest rates move over time.
Answer: FALSE
Topic: Chapter 5.2 Term Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
16) The interest rates on bonds of different maturities tend to move together over time.
Answer: TRUE
Topic: Chapter 5.2 Term Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
17) The expectations theory is able to explain why yield curves are usually upward-sloping.
Answer: FALSE
Topic: Chapter 5.2 Term Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
18) According to the expectations theory, the interest rate on a long-term bond is the average of
the short-term interest rates expected over the life of the long-term bond.
Answer: TRUE
Topic: Chapter 5.2 Term Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
19) The market segmentation theory is able to explain why interest rates on bonds of different
maturities move together over time.
Answer: FALSE
Topic: Chapter 5.2 Term Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
20) A positive liquidity premium indicates that investors prefer long-term bonds over short-term
bonds.
Answer: FALSE
Topic: Chapter 5.2 Term Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
23
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21) A mildly upward-sloping yield curve suggests that the market is predicting constant short-
term interest rates.
Answer: TRUE
Topic: Chapter 5.2 Term Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
22) When yield curves are downward-sloping, long-term interest rates are above short-term
interest rates.
Answer: FALSE
Topic: Chapter 5.2 Term Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
5.3 Essay
1) Why would an increase in the income tax rate reduce borrowing costs to municipalities?
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
3) How would a severe recession affect the risk premium on corporate bonds?
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
4) Explain why a flight to quality occurred following the subprime collapse and how this
affected the interest rates on lower-quality corporate bonds and Treasury bonds.
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
6) In 2013, President Obama increased tax by essentially repealing the Bush tax cuts for high-
income
tax payers. How does this affect the after-tax expected return on tax-free municipal bonds
relative to Treasury bonds?
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
7) What effect did the Bush Tax Cut have on bond interest rates?
Topic: Chapter 5.1 Risk Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
24
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8) Contrast the liquidity premium theory to the market segmentation theory of the term structure
of interest rates.
Topic: Chapter 5.2 Term Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
10) Why is it unlikely that the expectations theory alone is the correct theory for explaining the
yield curve?
Topic: Chapter 5.2 Term Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
12) What are the differences among the expectations, market segmentation, and liquidity
premium theories for the term structure of interest rates?
Topic: Chapter 5.2 Term Structure of Interest Rates
Question Status: Previous Edition
25
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