...objectives can be summarised below: Provide an asset pool sufficient to meet the long-term pensions and benefits liabilities Achieve a certain rate of return on the current pension assets for a given level of risk As a government pension plan, the fund has some understandable constraints, which are: Need to invest in mature and stable large companies Only a certain percentage of the fund could be invested in equities, meant to grow by +10% every year up to 40% The remainder (up to 60%) to be invested in bonds Their objective of achieving a certain rate of return is a necessary step to ensure the pension fund is able to meet its future pension liabilities. However, having unrealistic expectations can prove to be harmful where in their case a 1.5% discrepancy in expectations had led to a 120% increase in unfunded liability! The investment constraint of having a pension fund made up majority of bonds can prove to be problematic. While it is true that bonds provide a steady income in terms of coupon plus the opportunity for capital appreciation; the fact that bond prices are inversely proportional to interest rates prove to be a risk for pension funds. Indeed, that is the case for South Carolina pension fund where in April 1996 the fund has lost $400mln due to a rise in interest rates. Also their constraint of investing in mature and stable companies have the benefit of earning steady dividends and a lower level of risk (Claus and Thomas, 2001). But these companies...
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...Running Head: INVESTMENT STRATEGY TUI UNIVERSITY Ford Foundation Investment Strategy James J. Chapa FIN 504 Module 1 Case Assignment Dr. Geoffrey Clarkson January 24, 2009 The Ford Foundation’s investment policies are a critical component of continued organizational success. To support its wide range of programs, the Foundation relies on a solid financial foundation and reliable sources of income. Quality investments provide part of this critical revenue stream. Setting a solid investment strategy requires an understanding of investment fundamentals, coupled with the investment goals of the Foundation. Analysis of these concepts shows why the optimal investment strategy for the Ford Foundation differs from that of other organizations or even individual investors, as the unique goals of foundations require particular investment philosophies. The Foundation faces financial decisions concerning not only how to use money today, but how to manage money and assets saved for later use. The methods used to save or invest this capital have a dramatic effect on the Foundation’s ability to achieve its mission in the future. Inflation constantly threatens to erode the future purchasing power of today’s savings. All investors must find ways to “put their savings to work,” seeking rates of return that compensate or overcome the effects of inflation and ensure adequate funds exist to meet future needs. First, investors must determine their goals....
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...investors. How can mutual funds generate returns to their shareholders? ANSWER: Mutual funds enable small investors to benefit from a portfolio manager’s expertise, and from diversification capabilities due to a large portfolio. Mutual funds can provide dividends or capital gain distributions to investors. In addition, investors also benefit from share price appreciation; they may be able to sell the shares at a higher price then what they paid. 2. Open- versus Closed-End Funds How do open-end mutual funds differ from closed-end funds? ANSWER: Shares of open-end mutual funds can be sold back to the sponsoring investment company, whereas shares of closed-end mutual funds cannot. 3. Load versus No-Load Mutual Funds Explain the difference between load and no-load mutual funds. ANSWER: Load mutual funds require a fee to help pay for marketing commissions. No-load mutual funds do not require such a fee. 4. Use of Funds Like mutual funds, commercial banks and stock-owned savings institutions sell shares, but the proceeds received by mutual funds are used in a different way. Explain. ANSWER: Shares issued by commercial banks and savings institutions are used to obtain capital, which may be used to finance their fixed assets such as land and buildings. Shares issued by mutual funds are used to obtain funds, which are invested in the mutual funds portfolio. 5. Risk of Treasury Bond Funds Support or refute the following statement: Investors can avoid all types of risk by...
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...crisis started to brew in the US in 2007 and many believed it would be largely limited to the shores of the US. However, the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008 was sufficient to trigger a worldwide stock market collapse, the effects of which are felt to this day. The worldwide collapse of stock market can be understood by considering the world as a single big marketplace. Analysing the co-movement of various financial markets has gained importance in the recent past both for policy makers, in terms of policy co-ordination, and portfolio managers, for portfolio diversification. For policy makers, high co-movement would facilitate transition in local currency areas resulting in potential efficiency gains from stock market merger activities. This, in turn, will result in greater financial stability across the regions. However, for portfolio managers, high correlation between international stock markets would reduce the benefits of portfolio diversification creating the need of searching other assets with lower correlation. The past few decades have seen a continuous increase economic integration between countries as a result of greater impetus towards globalization. All the worlds developed countries are also major traders (imports and exports) with other...
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...investing in stock markets, but these assignments provided a true picture of my portfolio although fake money was provided. Overall, I earned a negative return on my portfolio. Although, I finished the class 29th out of 42nd position there have been mistakes that I did and through these I have learned many things. I began investing in the 2nd week of classes, and I bought four stocks from four different industries- Healthcare, Business services, Technology sector, and Asset management industry. I bought these stocks from the mentioned sectors respectively: Aradigm Corp, ABM Industries Incorporated, Bolt technology Corporation, and FBR & Co. The reason why I chose stocks from four different industries is because of diversification. I believe diversification is important in order to avoid the outfall of putting all eggs in one basket. Through week one I learnt that that I would want to diversify my asset allocation along different sectors because different investments provide a different measures of safety, and thus reduce the entire risk of the portfolio. In the later weeks during week 11 and 14, I had purchased stocks in the Latin America and Asia market. The stocks that I bought from these markets were Gol-pn and Eros international. Thus, my portfolio consisted of stocks that were not only from diverse industries but also were from different geographic markets. By 3rd week of classes, my portfolio consisted of the above mentioned stocks and bonds- namely T-Bills and corporate...
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...CHAPTER 1 Introduction EASY (definitional) 1.1 Historically, the primary motive for U.S. multinationals to produce abroad has been to a) Lower costs b) Respond more quickly to the marketplace c) Avoid trade barriers d) Gain tax benefits Ans: b Section: Evolution of Multinational Level: Easy 1.2 The primary objective of the multinational corporation is to a) Maximize shareholder wealth b) Maximize world production c) Minimize debt d) Minimize the cost of doing business globally Ans: a Section: Multinational Financial Management: Theory and Practice Level: Easy 1.3 ____________ is defined as the purchase of assets or commodities on one market for immediate resale on another in order to profit form a price discrepancy. a) Internationalization b) Arbitrage c) Financing d) Total risk Ans: b Section: Evolution of Multinational Level: Easy 1.4 The value of good financial management is ___________ in the global markets because of the much greater probability of market imperfections and multiple tax rates. a) Minimized b) Neutralized c) Enhanced d) Arbitraged away Ans: c Section: Role of the financial executive Level: Easy 1.5 When a firm operates globally it offers advantages such as a) Greater political power at home b) Bless taxes on its profits c) Greater negotiating power with foreign minority groups d) Greater negotiating power with labor unions Ans: d Section: Rise of the MNC Level: Easy 1.6 The prime transmitter of global competitive forces...
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...Investment Report Jane & Douglas Breighton Investment Report Jane & Douglas Breighton Best Choice Investment Solutions | FINM3008 Best Choice Investment Solutions | FINM3008 Minggang Gu|u5108473 Kejie Wang|u5133766 Tutorial Thursday 4pm Suggested Asset Allocation Breighton Holdings 14% Australian Equities 0% World Equities, Unhedged 0% World Equities, Hedged 11% Emerging Markets 13% EQUITIES 38% Australian Fixed Income 13% World Fixed Income, Hedged 19% Australian Index-Linked Bonds 0% Australian Cash 1% FIXED INCOME 33% Australian Listed Property 8% Australian Direct Property 9% PROPERTY 17% Hedge Funds 9% Commodities 1% US Private Equity 2% ALTERNATIVES 12% TOTAL 100% Contents Some critical assumption……………………………2 Asset Class Considerations………………………….2 Equities…………………………………………………..2 Fixed Income………………………………………….3 Alternatives and Property………………………4 Analysis Mothod………………………………………….5 Historical 3 Year Rolling Returns…………….5 Bootstrap Analysis………………………………….5 Mean-Variance Optimizer……………………..6 Results…………………………………………………………7 Final Recommendation……………………………….8 Building a Concrete Portfolio for Jane and Douglas Breighton………………………………….8 Appendices………………………………………………….9 References………………………………………………..13 Minggang Gu|u5108473 Kejie Wang|u5133766 Tutorial...
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...CHAPTER 1 SUGGESTED ANSWERS TO CHAPTER 1 QUESTIONS 1.a. What are the various categories of multinational firms? ANSWER. Raw materials seekers, market seekers, and cost minimizers. b. What is the motivation for international expansion of firms within each category? ANSWER. The raw materials seekers go abroad to exploit the raw materials that can be found there. It just happens that nature didn't place all natural resources domestically. Market seekers go overseas to produce and sell in foreign markets. The cost minimizers invest in lower-cost production sites overseas in order to remain cost competitive both at home and abroad. In all cases, the firms involved recognize that the world is larger than the home country and provides opportunities to gain additional supplies, sell more products or find lower cost sources of production. 2.a. How does foreign competition limit the prices that domestic companies can charge and the wages and benefits that workers can demand? ANSWER. As domestic producers raise their prices, customers begin substituting less expensive goods and services supplied by foreign producers. The likelihood of losing sales limits the prices that domestic firms can charge. Foreign competition also acts to limit the wages and benefits that workers can demand. If workers demand more money, firms have two choices. Acquiesce in these demands or fight them. Absent foreign competition, the cost of acquiescence is relatively low, particularly if the industry is unionized...
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...MULTINATIONAL CAPITAL STRUCTURE and COST OF CAPITAL ➢ Capital structure – refers to the proportion of LT debt and equity and the particular forms of capital chosen to finance the assets of the firm ➢ Mgment must choose: ■ the proportions of D and E ■ the currency of denomination ■ fixed or floating rate interest payments ■ indenture provisions ■ conversion features ■ seniority ■ maturity o Perfect mkt assumptions: -frictionless mkts -equal access to mkt prices -rational investors -equal access to costless information MM’s irrelevance proposition o With = access to perfect financial mkts, individuals can replicate any financial action that the firm can take o This leads to MM’s famous irrelevance proposition: -if financial mkts are perfect, then corporate financial policy is irrelevant The converse of MM’s irrelevance proposition o If financial policy is to increase value, then it must either -increase the firm’s expected future cash flows or -decrease the discount rate in a way that cannot be replicated by individual investors. Financial Mkt integration v Segmentation o In integrated financial mkts, real after tax rates of return on equivalent asset are = o Factors contributing to segmentation include: -prohibitive transactions costs -different legal and political systems -regulatory interference (eg barriers to financial flows) -different taxes -information...
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...of how Mutual Funds can be used as a dynamic tool for diversification.. INTRODUCTION There are a lot of investment avenues available today in the financial market for an investor with an invest-able surplus. He can invest in Bank Deposits, Corporate Debentures, and Bonds where there is low risk but low return. He may invest in Stock of companies where the risk is high and the returns are also proportionately high. The recent trends in the Stock Market have shown that an average retail investor always lost with periodic bearish tends. People began opting for portfolio managers with expertise in stock markets who would invest on their behalf. Thus we had wealth management services provided by many institutions. However they proved too costly for a small investor. These investors have found a good shelter with the mutual funds A mutual fund is an investment vehicle that comprises a pool of funds collected from a large number of investors who invest in securities such as stocks, bonds, and short term money market instruments. The portfolio of a mutual fund is structured and maintained by fund managers. Diversification means spreading out money across many different types of investments. When one investment is down another might be up. Diversification of investment holdings reduces the risk tremendously A mutual fund is a group of investors operating through a fund manager to purchase a diverse portfolio of stocks or bonds. Mutual funds are highly cost efficient...
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...Journal of International Business Studies (2007) 38, 215–230 & 2007 Academy of International Business All rights reserved 0047-2506 $30.00 www.jibs.net Real options in multinational corporations: organizational challenges and risk implications Tony W Tong1 and Jeffrey J Reuer2 1 School of Management, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA; 2Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA Correspondence: JJ Reuer, Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina, McColl Building, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. Tel: þ 1 919 962 4514; Fax: þ 1 919 962 4266; E-mail: reuer@unc.edu Abstract In this study, we investigate how multinationality affects firms’ risk levels. Our investigation builds on the idea from real options theory that international operations offer switching options to multinational corporations, yet we also emphasize different sources of coordination costs that can mitigate the benefits of operational flexibility. The findings from Tobit models accounting for selfselection underscore the importance of unobserved heterogeneity in the relationships between international investments and risk levels. Consistent with the coordination costs surrounding international operations, we find that the relationship between multinationality and downside risk is curvilinear: risk first declines and then increases as a firm’s portfolio of international investments becomes extensive. In...
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...CHAPTER 1 Introduction EASY (definitional) 1.1 Historically, the primary motive for U.S. multinationals to produce abroad has been to a) lower costs b) respond more quickly to the marketplace c) avoid trade barriers d) gain tax benefits Ans: b Section: evolution of multinational Level: Easy 1.2 The primary objective of the multinational corporation is to a.) maximize shareholder wealth b) maximize world production c) minimize debt d) minimize the cost of doing business globally Ans: a Section: Multinational Financial Management: Theory and Practice Level: Easy 3. ____________ is defined as the purchase of assets or commodities on one market for immediate resale on another in order to profit form a price discrepancy. a) internationalization b) arbitrage c) financing d) total risk Ans: b Section: evolution of multinational Level: Easy 4. The value of good financial management is ___________ in the global markets because of the much greater probability of market imperfections and multiple tax rates. a) minimized b) neutralized c) enhanced d) arbitraged away Ans: c Section: role of the financial executive Level: Easy 5. When a firm operates globally it offers advantages such as a) greater political power at home b) bless taxes on its profits c) greater negotiating power with foreign minority groups d) greater negotiating power with labor unions Ans: d Section: The rise of the MNC ...
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...hgThe Importance of Loan Policies INTRODUCTION Over the years, the fate of a credit union has been closely tied to how well it manages credit risk. A written loan policy, approved by a credit union’s board of directors and adhered to in practice, is of critical importance in ensuring that the credit union operates in both a safe and a sound manner. In today’s competitive and challenging lending environment, an up-to-date policy, appropriate to a credit union’s lending function and business plan, may be more important than ever. This Bulletin summarizes features and benefits of an effective policy, details warning signs and potential consequences of an outdated policy, and offers practical advice about reviewing and updating a loan policy. ELEMENTS OF AN EFFECTIVE LOAN POLICY Written loan policies vary considerably in content, length, and specificity, as well as in style and quality. No two credit unions share the same tolerance for risk, offer the same loan products, and face the same economic conditions. An effective loan policy should reflect the size and complexity of a credit union and its lending operations and should be tailored to its particular needs and characteristics. Revisions should occur as circumstances change, and the policy should be flexible enough to accommodate new lending activity without a major renovation. During examinations, examiners will make a determination about the adequacy of a credit union’s loan policy. Examiners are guided in their...
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...Every company has a situation where it reflects before venturing into new investment means for increased profits. It is important to know the threats surrounding a company in terms of investment. For that reason, the organisation of choice has a risk profile indicating its positioning when thinking of investing in a new strategy. Apparently, the company has the willingness to take head-on the risks that would come along with any investment form. There are several financial instruments for investing in a new plan. The company has hatched mitigation measures for risks that may affect the incorporation of the strategy. The company’s decision to invest using the new financial instruments can realise increased costs, or losses in terms of trading in the finances, but these are some of the risks the organisation is willing to take head-on. In addition, with the current instability found in the financial sector after the infamous global financial crisis, companies run the risk of being caught up again in the recession. However, the company has engaged with the insurance companies and also with the necessary financial institutions so that in the event of unfortunate occurrence, the company remains safe. One example of financial instrument for investment is the Exchange Traded Fund (ETF), just like any other source of investment; it does not come along without its risks. In other words, there is no investment that is free from risk; they are all likely in one way or the other to land...
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...Curriculum Source References The following references were used in the CFA Institute-produced publications Quantitative Methods for Investment Analysis, Analysis of Equity Investments: Valuation, and Managing Investment Portfolios: A Dynamic Process. Ackerman, Carl, Richard McEnally, and David Ravenscraft. 1999. “The Performance of Hedge Funds: Risk, Return, and Incentives.” Journal of Finance. Vol. 54, No. 3: 833–874. ACLI Survey. 2003. The American Council of Life Insurers. Agarwal, Vikas and Narayan Naik. 2000. “Performance Evaluation of Hedge Funds with OptionBased and Buy-and-Hold Strategies.” Working Paper, London Business School. Ali, Paul Usman and Martin Gold. 2002. “An Appraisal of Socially Responsible Investments and Implications for Trustees and Other Investment Fiduciaries.” Working Paper, University of Melbourne. Almgren, Robert and Neil Chriss. 2000/2001. “Optimal Execution of Portfolio Transactions.” Journal of Risk. Vol. 3: 5–39. Altman, Edward I. 1968. “Financial Ratios, Discriminant Analysis and the Prediction of Corporate Bankruptcy.” Journal of Finance. Vol. 23: 589–699. Altman, Edward I. and Vellore M. Kishore. 1996. “Almost Everything You Wanted to Know about Recoveries on Defaulted Bonds.” Financial Analysts Journal. Vol. 52, No. 6: 57−63. Altman, Edward I., R. Haldeman, and P. Narayanan. 1977. “Zeta Analysis: A New Model to Identify Bankruptcy Risk of Corporations.” Journal of Banking and Finance. Vol. 1: 29−54. Ambachtsheer, Keith, Ronald Capelle, and...
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