Microsoft Word - Assignment1QA.docx

• Assume your company has a contract to purchase 100 computers from a Korean company. The payment is due on receipt of the shipment and must be delivered in Korea on 1 December 2016. On 1 July 2016, when you are arranging the contract, the computers are priced at 500,000 won each. On 1 July 2016, the spot exchange rate is AU$1 in exchange for 1,250 won (KRW). Assume that the 6-month interest rate in Korea is 3% and the rate in Australia is 5%. Assume that the covered interest parity holds.

1. (A) Calculate the Australian dollar price (on 1 July 2016) of one unit of Korean currency (rounding to 4 decimal places).
2. (B) What is the total price of the computers in Australian dollars on 1 July 2016 (rounding to 2 decimal places)?
3. (C) Calculate the 6-month forward exchange rate, FKRW/$, under the covered interest parity (rounding to 2 decimal places). Note that the forward rate is defined as the Korean won per AU$1. Hint: Use the CIP equation.
4. (D) WhatwouldyouadviseyourfirmtodotoavoidalossonthedealiftheKoreanwoncosts5%more compared to the Australian dollar (the expected depreciation rate of Australian dollar against Korean won is 5%) when payment is due on 1 December 2016? The answer should have the exact numbers (rounding up to 2 decimal places) that you would tell your CEO. Hint: You want to get rid of the exchange rate risks.

2. Suppose a basket of goods costs 210,000 Mexican pesos in Mexico, while the same basket costs $16,800 in Australia. The nominal exchange rate is currently at E$/Peso = 0.10. Assume that the prices in two countries do not change at all over time (the inflation rates in two countries are always zero). Assume that the uncovered interest parity (UIP) holds.

(A) Calculate the real exchange rate, q$/Peso. Hint: Use the real exchange rate definition.

(B) Underthepurchasingpowerparity(PPP),whatwillbethenominalexchangerateinthelongrun? Hint: Use the real exchange rate definition and apply the PPP.

(C) IstheAustraliandollarunderorovervaluedagainstMexicanpesosatthemoment? Hint: Check the definition of the under/over valuation of a currency.

(D) The nominal exchange rate in 1 year is expected to become Ee$/Peso = 0.097. Using the definition of the real exchange rate with zero inflation rates in two countries, calculate the expected real exchange rate in 1 year, qe$/Peso. Hint: Check the definition of the real exchange rate in growth rates and apply the inflation rates given.

(E) The exchange rate in 1 year is expected to be 0.097, Ee$/Peso = 0.097 as in (D), the current 1- year interest rate in Australia is 2%, and the 1-year forward rate is F$/Peso = 0.10. If you can borrow $1 million from a bank in Australia or 10 million pesos from a bank in Mexico, explain how you can make money without any exchange rate risks. The answer should have the specific amount of profits in Australian dollars in 1 year.

Hint: Check the UIP equation and find the interest rate in Mexico. Then, apply the way to make

money when the CIP does not hold.