On January 2, 2014, Jones Company purchases a call option for $450 on Merchant common stock. The call option gives Jones the option to buy 1,400 shares of Merchant at a strike price of $53 per share. The market price of a Merchant share is $53 on January 2, 2014 (the intrinsic value is therefore $0). On March 31, 2014, the market price for Merchant stock is $56 per share, and the time value of the option is $246.

(a) Prepare the journal entry to record the purchase of the call option on January 2, 2014.

(b) Prepare the journal entries to recognize the change in the fair value of the call option as of March 31, 2014.

(c) What was the effect on net income of entering into the derivative transaction for the period January 2 to March 31, 2014?