Free Practice Questions for CSI CSC1 Exam

Using Moody’s long-term rating scale,Caais assigned to obligations that are speculative and subject to very high credit risk. This rating indicates that the issuer is highly vulnerable to adverse conditions, though it has not yet defaulted.

C (Option A):Indicates obligations that are in default.

B (Option B):Reflects obligations with speculative elements and higher risk than investment-grade ratings.

Ba (Option C):Denotes speculative-grade credit but with lower risk compared to Caa.

Rights are short-term privileges offered to shareholders, allowing them to purchase additional shares at a discounted price before a specified expiration date. Due to their short lifespan, rights typically have limited time value, which decreases as the expiration date approaches.

Option A:Shares trade ex-rights after the record date.

Option B:The subscription price is set below the market price, not equal to it.

Option D:Market values fluctuate based on trading activity and are not constant.

A stock split is used as a corporate strategy to decrease the price of individual shares by increasing the number of shares outstanding. This makes the shares more affordable for a broader range of investors, improving liquidity and potentially enhancing marketability.

For example, in a 2-for-1 stock split, shareholders receive two shares for every one share they own, and the share price is halved.

Study Document References:

Volume 1, Chapter 8:Stock Splits and Corporate Strategy, including the rationale for adjusting share prices​​.

True inflation is defined as a general and sustained increase in the prices of goods and services throughout an economy over time.

A (Jump in call prices)andD (one-time price increase due to tax)are isolated events and not inflation.

B (Sustained decrease in prices)describes deflation, not inflation.

References:Volume 1, Chapter 4 ("The Impact of Inflation")​.

The Bank of Canada uses anoperating band of 50 basis pointsto manage the overnight rate. The top of the band is theBank Rate, and the bottom is the rate the Bank pays on settlement balances. The overnight rate typically operates within this band.

A. 25 basis points: This is too narrow to accommodate monetary operations.

B. 75 basis points: This is wider than the standard operating band.

D. 100 basis points: This is incorrect; the operating band is 50 basis points.

Along-term bond with a low couponwill maximize capital gains when interest rates fall. Here’s why:

Long-term bondsare more sensitive to interest rate changes due to their longer duration, which amplifies the price movement.

Low coupon bondsare more affected by changes in interest rates compared to high coupon bonds because more of their value comes from the principal repayment rather than periodic interest payments.

Other options:

Short-term bonds: Have lower duration and less sensitivity to interest rate changes, so they do not maximize capital gains.

High coupon bonds: Are less sensitive to interest rate changes because of their higher periodic cash flows.

References:

Volume 1, Chapter 7:Fixed-Income Securities: Pricing and Trading, section on "Impact of Maturity and Coupon on Bond Prices" explains the relationship between interest rate changes, bond duration, and price sensitivity​.

Futures contracts are standardized agreements to buy or sell an asset at a predetermined price on a future date. They are unique because they can be traded on regulated exchanges, such as the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), or over-the-counter (OTC), where counterparties negotiate terms directly.

This dual trading mechanism ensures flexibility and accessibility for market participants, differentiating futures from other derivatives like forwards, which are typically OTC-only.

Study Document References:

Volume 1, Chapter 10:Derivatives and Features of Futures, including how they are traded​​.

When acting as aprincipal, investment dealers buy and sell securities for their own account. They generate revenue by earning aspread, which is the difference between the price at which they buy securities (bid price) and the price at which they sell them (ask price). This is distinct from their role as an agent, where revenue is earned through commissions on trades executed on behalf of clients.

A. Through commissions: Commissions are earned when acting as an agent, not as a principal.

B. Through tracers: This term does not apply to revenue generation.

C. Through brokerage charges: Brokerage charges relate to fees imposed on client accounts, not principal trading spreads.

Treasury bills (T-bills) are short-term fixed-income securities issued by the Government of Canada with maturities of one year or less, including terms as short as six months or less. They do not pay interest in the conventional sense. Instead, they are sold at a discount to their facevalue, and investors receive the full face value upon maturity. The difference between the purchase price and the face value represents the investor's earnings.

A. Guaranteed bonds: These are long-term securities that pay periodic interest (coupons) and do not fit the short-term, non-interest-paying description of T-bills.

B. Commercial paper: Issued by corporations, not governments, and used to finance short-term liabilities.

D. Term deposits: These are bank products, not government securities, and typically pay interest over their term.

The inflation rate is calculated using the formula:

Inflation Rate=CPIcurrent−CPIpreviousCPIprevious×100\text{Inflation Rate} = \frac{\text{CPI}_{\text{current}} - \text{CPI}_{\text{previous}}}{\text{CPI}_{\text{previous}}} \times 100Inflation Rate=CPIprevious​CPIcurrent​−CPIprevious​​×100

Substitute the given values:

Inflation Rate=125.9−123.0123.0×100=2.9123.0×100≈2.36%\text{Inflation Rate} = \frac{125.9 - 123.0}{123.0} \times 100 = \frac{2.9}{123.0} \times 100 \approx 2.36\%Inflation Rate=123.0125.9−123.0​×100=123.02.9​×100≈2.36%

B. 2.30%: This is close but results from rounding errors or miscalculation.

C. 0.98%andD. 1.02%: These values are far below the correct inflation rate calculated using the formula.