All questions are complete.
Which of the following statements concerning the balance of payments is correct?
A) A country's persistent surpluses will eventually exhaust its holdings of other countries'
currencies.
B) A persistent surplus tends to lead to an appreciation of a country's currency, unless the central
bank intervenes.
C) Economists agree that persistent balance of payments surpluses are desirable.
D) A country's persistent deficits will eventually cause its holdings of other countries' currencies
to increase.
E) There must be an equal number of countries with balance of payments deficits as countries
with balance of payments surpluses.
Discuss the Negative effects of Intel's closure on Costa Rica's economy? Discuss the Benefits to the Chinese economy of IKEA opening its stores in the country? Discuss the Positive effects of Intel's closure on Costa Rica's economy? Discuss why Productivity is vital for the survival of firms. Discuss the disadvantages of a monopoly. Discuss arguments as to why consumers may be disadvantaged due to lack of competition. How can consumers benefit from monopolies? Discuss the costs of the costs to L'Occitane . When does a takeover occur? When does a merger occur?Discuss the advantages of having only small independent shops in town?One of the stated objectives for the management of an equity portfolio is that it shall aim to have a beta of 1.2 relative to the market index. (i) Explain the term beta, and the meaning of a value of 1.2. [2] (ii) Describe the investigations you would make to determine the value added by the fund manager to the portfolio, assuming full data is available. [3] (iii) List six reasons why the performance of the portfolio might differ from that of the index. [3] [Total 8] 5 (i) Two options have identical characteristics except that one is an American option and the other is a European option. Explain which option will have the greater market price. [2] (ii) Explain the difference between a futures contract and an option contract. [4] (iii) Explain why only a small proportion of exchange traded futures contracts reach delivery, and describe the practical steps taken to achieve this result. [3] (iv) Explain two types of risk faced by the counterparties in an over-the-counter swap arrangement. Discuss the steps which can be taken by either counterparty to minimise these risks. You are the investment manager of a fixed interest unit trust. For several years your remit has been to invest solely in government securities with a term to redemption of less than 7 years. In recent times, total returns from the unit trust have declined and competition has intensified. The chief investment manager has asked you to consider ways in which the total return of the portfolio might be improved. Describe what could be done to improve the total return of the portfolio