Exam 7: Bonds and Their Valuation

A) One disadvantage of zero coupon bonds is that the issuing firm cannot realize any tax savings from the use of debt until the bonds mature.
B) Other things held constant, a callable bond should have a lower yield to maturity than a noncallable bond.
C) Once a firm declares bankruptcy, it must be liquidated by the trustee, who uses the proceeds to pay bondholders, unpaid wages, taxes, and legal fees.
D) Income bonds must pay interest only if the company earns the interest. Thus, these securities cannot bankrupt a company prior to their maturity, and this makes them safer to the issuing corporation than "regular" bonds.
E) A firm with a sinking fund that gives it the choice of calling the required bonds at par or buying the bonds in the open market would generally choose the open market purchase if the coupon rate exceeded the going interest rate.

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A) 5.84%
B) 6.15%
C) 6.47%
D) 6.81%
E) 7.17%

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A) If the Federal Reserve unexpectedly announces that it expects inflation to increase, then we would probably observe an immediate increase in bond prices.
B) The total yield on a bond is derived from dividends plus changes in the price of the bond.
C) Bonds are generally regarded as being riskier than common stocks, and therefore bonds have higher required returns.
D) Bonds issued by larger companies always have lower yields to maturity (due to less risk) than bonds issued by smaller companies.
E) The market price of a bond will always approach its par value as its maturity date approaches, provided the bond's required return remains constant.

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A) The higher the percentage of debt represented by mortgage bonds, the riskier both types of bonds will be and, consequently, the higher the firm's total dollar interest charges will be.
B) If the debt were raised by issuing $50 million of debentures and $50 million of first mortgage bonds, we could be certain that the firm's total interest expense would be lower than if the debt were raised by issuing $100 million of debentures.
C) In this situation, we cannot tell for sure how, or even whether, the firm's total interest expense on the $100 million of debt would be affected by the mix of debentures versus first mortgage bonds. The interest rate on each type of bond would increase as the percentage of mortgage bonds used was increased, but the average cost might well be such that the firm's total interest charges would not be affected materially by the mix between the two.
D) The higher the percentage of debentures, the greater the risk borne by each debenture, and thus the higher the required rate of return on the debentures.
E) If the debt were raised by issuing $50 million of debentures and $50 million of first mortgage bonds, we could be certain that the firm's total interest expense would be lower than if the debt were raised by issuing $100 million of first mortgage bonds.

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A) Adding additional restrictive covenants that limit management's actions.
B) Adding a call provision.
C) The rating agencies change the bond's rating from Baa to Aaa.
D) Making the bond a first mortgage bond rather than a debenture.
E) Adding a sinking fund.

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A) The bond's expected capital gains yield is zero.
B) The bond's yield to maturity is above 9%.
C) The bond's current yield is above 9%.
D) If the bond's yield to maturity declines, the bond will sell at a discount.
E) The bond's current yield is less than its expected capital gains yield.

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A) Because of the call premium, the required rate of return would decline.
B) There is no reason to expect a change in the required rate of return.
C) The required rate of return would decline because the bond would then be less risky to a bondholder.
D) The required rate of return would increase because the bond would then be more risky to a bondholder.
E) It is impossible to say without more information.

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