CHAPTER 14 INTEREST RATE AND CURRENCY SWAPS SUGGESTED ANSWERS AND SOLUTIONS TO END-OF-CHAPTER
QUESTIONS AND PROBLEMS
QUESTIONS
1. Describe the difference between a swap broker and a swap dealer.
Answer: A swap broker arranges a swap between two counterparties for a fee without taking a risk position in the swap. A swap dealer is a market maker of swaps and assumes a risk position in matching opposite sides of a swap and in assuring that each counterparty fulfills its contractual obligation to the other.
2. What is the necessary condition for a fixed-for-floating interest rate swap to be possible?
Answer: For a fixed-for-floating interest rate swap to be possible it is necessary for a quality spread differential to exist. In general, the default-risk premium of the fixed-rate debt will be larger than the default-risk premium of the floating-rate debt.
3. Discuss the basic motivations for a counterparty to enter into a currency swap.
Answer: One basic reason for a counterparty to enter into a currency swap is to exploit the comparative advantage of the other in obtaining debt financing at a lower interest rate than could be obtained on its own. A second basic reason is to lock in long-term exchange rates in the repayment of debt service obligations denominated in a foreign currency.
4. How does the theory of comparative advantage relate to the currency swap market?
Answer: Name recognition is extremely important in the international bond market. Without it, even a creditworthy corporation will find itself paying a higher interest rate for foreign denominated funds than a local borrower of equivalent creditworthiness. Consequently, two firms of equivalent creditworthiness can each exploit their, respective, name recognition by borrowing in their local capital market at a favorable rate and then re-lending at the same rate to the other.
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5. Discuss the risks confronting an interest rate and currency swap dealer.
Answer: An interest rate and currency swap dealer confronts many different types of risk. Interest rate risk refers to the risk of interest rates changing unfavorably before the swap dealer can lay off on an opposing counterparty the unplaced side of a swap with another counterparty. Basis risk refers to the floating rates of two counterparties being pegged to two different indices. In this situation, since the indexes are not perfectly positively correlated, the swap bank may not always receive enough floating rate funds from one counterparty to pass through to satisfy the other side, while still covering its desired spread, or avoiding a loss. Exchange-rate risk refers to the risk the swap bank faces from fluctuating exchange rates during the time it takes the bank to lay off a swap it undertakes on an opposing counterparty before exchange rates change. Additionally, the dealer confronts credit risk from one counterparty defaulting and its having to fulfill the defaulting party’s obligation to the other counterparty. Mismatch risk refers to the difficulty of the dealer finding an exact opposite match for a swap it has agreed to take. Sovereign risk refers to a country imposing exchange restrictions on a currency involved in a swap making it costly, or impossible, for a counterparty to honor its swap obligations to the dealer. In this event, provisions exist for the early termination of a swap, which means a loss of revenue to the swap bank.
6. Briefly discuss some variants of the basic interest rate and currency swaps diagramed in the chapter.
Answer: Instead of the basic fixed-for-floating interest rate swap, there are also zero-coupon-for-floating rate swaps where the fixed rate payer makes only one zero-coupon payment at maturity on the notional value. There are also floating-for-floating rate swaps where each side is tied to a different floating rate index or a different frequency of the same index. Currency swaps need not be fixed-for-fixed; fixed-for-floating and floating-for-floating rate currency swaps are frequently arranged. Moreover, both currency and interest rate swaps can be amortizing as well as non-amortizing.
7. If the cost advantage of interest rate swaps would likely be arbitraged away in competitive markets, what other explanations exist to explain the rapid development of the interest rate swap market?
Answer: All types of debt instruments are not always available to all borrowers. Interest rate swaps can assist in market completeness. That is, a borrower may use a swap to get out of one type of financing and to obtain a more desirable type of credit that is more suitable for its asset maturity structure.
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8. Suppose Morgan Guaranty, Ltd. is quoting swap rates as follows: 7.75 - 8.10 percent annually against six-month dollar LIBOR for dollars and 11.25 - 11.65 percent annually against six-month dollar LIBOR for British pound sterling. At what rates will Morgan Guaranty enter into a $/￡ currency swap?
Answer: Morgan Guaranty will pay annual fixed-rate dollar payments of 7.75 percent against receiving six-month dollar LIBOR flat, or it will receive fixed-rate annual dollar payments at 8.10 percent against paying six-month dollar LIBOR flat. Morgan Guaranty will make annual fixed-rate ￡ payments at 11.25 percent against receiving six-month dollar LIBOR flat, or it will receive annual fixed-rate ￡ payments at 11.65 percent against paying six-month dollar LIBOR flat. Thus, Morgan Guaranty will enter into a currency swap in which it would pay annual fixed-rate dollar payments of 7.75 percent in return for receiving semi-annual fixed-rate ￡ payments at 11.65 percent, or it will receive annual fixed-rate dollar payments at 8.10 percent against paying annual fixed-rate ￡ payments at 11.25 percent.
*9. Assume a currency swap in which two counterparties of comparable credit risk each borrow at the best rate available, yet the nominal rate of one counterparty is higher than the other. After the initial principal exchange, is the counterparty that is required to make interest payments at the higher nominal rate at a financial disadvantage to the other in the swap agreement? Explain your thinking.
Answer: Superficially, it may appear that the counterparty paying the higher nominal rate is at a disadvantage since it has borrowed at a lower rate. However, if the forward rate is an unbiased predictor of the expected spot rate and if IRP holds, then the currency with the higher nominal rate is expected to depreciate versus the other. In this case, the counterparty making the interest payments at the higher nominal rate is in effect making interest payments at the lower interest rate because the payment currency is depreciating in value versus the borrowing currency.
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PROBLEMS
1. Alpha and Beta Companies can borrow for a five-year term at the following rates:
Moody’s credit rating Fixed-rate borrowing cost Floating-rate borrowing cost
a. Calculate the quality spread differential (QSD).
b. Develop an interest rate swap in which both Alpha and Beta have an equal cost savings in their borrowing costs. Assume Alpha desires floating-rate debt and Beta desires fixed-rate debt. No swap bank is involved in this transaction. Solution:
a. The QSD = (12.0% - 10.5%) minus (LIBOR + 1% - LIBOR) = .5%.
b. Alpha needs to issue fixed-rate debt at 10.5% and Beta needs to issue floating rate-debt at LIBOR + 1%. Alpha needs to pay LIBOR to Beta. Beta needs to pay 10.75% to Alpha. If this is done, Alpha’s floating-rate all-in-cost is: 10.5% + LIBOR - 10.75% = LIBOR - .25%, a .25% savings over issuing floating-rate debt on its own. Beta’s fixed-rate all-in-cost is: LIBOR+ 1% + 10.75% - LIBOR = 11.75%, a .25% savings over issuing fixed-rate debt.
2. Do problem 1 over again, this time assuming more realistically that a swap bank is involved as an intermediary. Assume the swap bank is quoting five-year dollar interest rate swaps at 10.7% - 10.8% against LIBOR flat.
Solution: Alpha will issue fixed-rate debt at 10.5% and Beta will issue floating rate-debt at LIBOR + 1%. Alpha will receive 10.7% from the swap bank and pay it LIBOR. Beta will pay 10.8% to the swap bank and receive from it LIBOR. If this is done, Alpha’s floating-rate all-in-cost is: 10.5% + LIBOR - 10.7% = LIBOR - .20%, a .20% savings over issuing floating-rate debt on its own. Beta’s fixed-rate all-in-cost is: LIBOR+ 1% + 10.8% - LIBOR = 11.8%, a .20% savings over issuing fixed-rate debt.
Alpha Aa LIBOR
10.5%
Beta Baa 12.0% LIBOR + 1%
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3. Company A is a AAA-rated firm desiring to issue five-year FRNs. It finds that it can issue FRNs at six-month LIBOR + .125 percent or at three-month LIBOR + .125 percent. Given its asset structure, three-month LIBOR is the preferred index. Company B is an A-rated firm that also desires to issue five-year FRNs. It finds it can issue at six-month LIBOR + 1.0 percent or at three-month LIBOR + .625 percent. Given its asset structure, six-month LIBOR is the preferred index. Assume a notional principal of $15,000,000. Determine the QSD and set up a floating-for-floating rate swap where the swap bank receives .125 percent and the two counterparties share the remaining savings equally.
Solution: The quality spread differential is [(Six-month LIBOR + 1.0 percent) minus (Six-month LIBOR + .125 percent) =] .875 percent minus [(Three-month LIBOR + .625 percent) minus (Three-month LIBOR + .125 percent) =] .50 percent, which equals .375 percent. If the swap bank receives .125 percent, each counterparty is to save .125 percent. To effect the swap, Company A would issue FRNs indexed to six-month LIBOR and Company B would issue FRNs indexed three-month LIBOR. Company B might make semi-annual payments of six-month LIBOR + .125 percent to the swap bank, which would pass all of it through to Company A. Company A, in turn, might make quarterly payments of three-month LIBOR to the swap bank, which would pass through three-month LIBOR - .125 percent to Company B. On an annualized basis, Company B will remit to the swap bank six-month LIBOR + .125 percent and pay three-month LIBOR + .625 percent on its FRNs. It will receive three-month LIBOR - .125 percent from the swap bank. This arrangement results in an all-in cost of the six-month LIBOR + .825 percent, which is a rate .125 percent below the FRNs indexed to six-month LIBOR + 1.0 percent Company B could issue on its own. Company A will remit three-month LIBOR to the swap bank and pay six-month LIBOR + .125 percent on its FRNs. It will receive six-month LIBOR + .125 percent from the swap bank. This arrangement results in an all-in cost of three-month LIBOR for Company A, which is .125 percent less than the FRNs indexed to three-month LIBOR + .125 percent it could issue on its own. The arrangements with the two counterparties net the swap bank .125 percent per annum, received quarterly.
*4. A corporation enters into a five-year interest rate swap with a swap bank in which it agrees to pay the swap bank a fixed rate of 9.75 percent annually on a notional amount of �15,000,000 and receive LIBOR. As of the second reset date, determine the price of the swap from the corporation’s viewpoint assuming that the fixed-rate side of the swap has increased to 10.25 percent.
Solution: On the reset date, the present value of the future floating-rate payments the corporation will receive from the swap bank based on the notional value will be �15,000,000. The present value of a hypothetical bond issue of �15,000,000 with three remaining 9.75 percent coupon payments at the new
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国际财务管理(英文版)课后习题答案1
