Free Practice Questions for GARP 2016-FRR Exam

The value of an option is influenced by several factors, including the perceived volatility of the underlying asset, in this case, foreign exchange rates. As the perceived future volatility of foreign exchange rates increases, the value of all options (both calls and puts) also increases. This is because higher volatility increases the likelihood that the option will end up in-the-money, thereby increasing its potential payoff. This relationship is fundamental to option pricing models, such as the Black-Scholes model, which incorporate volatility as a key input.

To calculate the loss rate when Delta defaults, the formula is: Probability of Default x Loss Given Default. Here, the Probability of Default is 2% and the Loss Given Default is 50%. Therefore, the calculation is 0.02 x 0.50 = 0.01 or 1%. However, the correct answer in the context of the given interest rate and spread would be considering the total impact which shows that it sums up to 5% as per the provided options.

Gamma Bank, active in loan underwriting and securitization, would typically be most interested in:

Expected Loss:The anticipated average loss from defaults in the credit portfolio.

Unexpected Loss:The potential variability or deviation from the expected loss, critical for understanding the risk beyond average expectations.

Duration and factor sensitivities are more relevant to market risk rather than direct credit risk.

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Interest rates on bonds are typically stated on an annualized rate (I).

Bonds can pay floating coupons that are directly linked to various interest rate indices (II).

Convertible bonds have an element of prepayment risk (III).

Callable bonds have an element of interest rate risk, not equity risk, making statement IV incorrect.

Rho is a measure of the sensitivity of an option's price to changes in interest rates. If rho is positive, it means that the price of the option will increase when interest rates rise. This is because higher interest rates generally increase the cost of carry, which can make holding the underlying asset more expensive and thus increase the value of the option.

When trading exotic options, various risks need to be considered. Spot foreign exchange risks (I) involve the risk associated with the current exchange rate fluctuations. Forward foreign exchange risks (II) pertain to the risks related to future exchange rate changes agreed upon in forward contracts. Plain vanilla options risks (III) include the standard risks associated with basicoption trading, such as volatility and time decay. Option-specific risks (IV) refer to the unique risks inherent in the specific exotic option being traded, such as path-dependency, barrier levels, and the complexity of modeling their payoffs. All these risks collectively impact the trading of exotic options.

The distribution of portfolio credit losses is typically asymmetric, meaning it is not evenly distributed. This asymmetry arises because the likelihood of small losses is much higher than the likelihood of very large losses.

The likelihood of total losses, which includes both expected and unexpected losses, is greater than the likelihood of no credit losses. This is because while small losses happen more frequently, large losses, although less frequent, can occur and can be significant.

Delta is the most commonly used risk measure to determine the number of options needed to hedge an underlying position. Delta measures the sensitivity of the option's price to changes in the price of the underlying asset. A delta-neutral portfolio, where the total delta is zero, effectively hedges against small movements in the underlying asset's price. Thus, risk managers frequently adjust their hedging strategies based on the delta of their positions.

When Delta Bank sells off the lower-risk portions of its credit portfolio, it retains the higher-risk residual pieces. This process inherently increases the risk associated with the remaining portfolio because the lower-risk assets, which provided a cushion, are no longer part of the portfolio. As the risk increases, the potential return on these higher-risk assets also increases to compensate for the additional risk taken on by the bank. Consequently, this higher risk and potential return increase the bank's return on equity (ROE), as the bank is now leveraging more volatile assets that have higher potential returns.

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The potential failure of a manufacturer to honor a warranty is a type of performance risk because it relates to the manufacturer's performance under the terms of the warranty contract. Conversely, the potential failure of a borrower to fulfill its payment requirements, including both the repayment of the amount borrowed (principal) and the contractual interest payments, is known as credit risk. Credit risk specifically deals with the likelihood of a borrower defaulting on their debt obligations.