Chapter 2 Overview of the Financial System
2.1 Single Choice
1) Every financial market performs the following function: A) It determines the level of interest rates. B) It allows common stock to be traded. C) It allows loans to be made.
D) It channels funds from lenders-savers to borrowers-spenders.
2) Financial markets have the basic function of
A) bringing together people with funds to lend and people who want to borrow funds. B) assuring that the swings in the business cycle are less pronounced. C) assuring that governments need never resort to printing money. D) both A and B of the above. E) both B and C of the above.
3) Which of the following can be described as involving direct finance? A) A corporation's stock is traded in an over-the-counter market. B) People buy shares in a mutual fund.
C) A pension fund manager buys commercial paper in the secondary market.
D) An insurance company buys shares of common stock in the over-the-counter markets. E) None of the above.
4) Which of the following can be described as involving direct finance? A) A corporation's stock is traded in an over-the-counter market.
B) A corporation buys commercial paper issued by another corporation.
C) A pension fund manager buys commercial paper from the issuing corporation. D) Both A and B of the above. E) Both B and C of the above.
5) Which of the following can be described as involving indirect finance? A) A corporation takes out loans from a bank. B) People buy shares in a mutual fund.
C) A corporation buys commercial paper in a secondary market. D) All of the above.
E) Only A and B of the above.
6) Which of the following can be described as involving indirect finance? A) A bank buys a U.S. Treasury bill from one of its depositors.
B) A corporation buys commercial paper issued by another corporation. C) A pension fund manager buys commercial paper in the primary market. D) Both A and C of the above.
7) Financial markets improve economic welfare because
A) they allow funds to move from those without productive investment opportunities to those who have such opportunities.
B) they allow consumers to time their purchases better. C) they weed out inefficient firms. D) they do all of the above.
E) they do A and B of the above.
8) A country whose financial markets function poorly is likely to A) efficiently allocate its capital resources. B) enjoy high productivity.
C) experience economic hardship and financial crises. D) increase its standard of living.
9) Which of the following are securities? A) A certificate of deposit
B) A share of Texaco common stock C) A Treasury bill D) All of the above
E) Only A and B of the above
10) Which of the following statements about the characteristics of debt and equity are true? A) They both can be long-term financial instruments. B) They both involve a claim on the issuer's income. C) They both enable a corporation to raise funds. D) All of the above.
E) Only A and B of the above.
11) The money market is the market in which _________ are traded. A) new issues of securities B) previously issued securities C) short-term debt instruments
D) long-term debt and equity instruments
12) Long-term debt and equity instruments are traded in the _________ market. A) primary B) secondary C) capital D) money
13) Which of the following are primary markets? A) The New York Stock Exchange B) The U.S. government bond market C) The over-the-counter stock market
D) The options markets E) None of the above
14) Which of the following are secondary markets? A) The New York Stock Exchange B) The U.S. government bond market C) The over-the-counter stock market D) The options markets E) All of the above
15) A corporation acquires new funds only when its securities are sold in the A) secondary market by an investment bank. B) primary market by an investment bank.
C) secondary market by a stock exchange broker. D) secondary market by a commercial bank.
16) Intermediaries who are agents of investors and match buyers with sellers of securities are called
A) investment bankers. B) traders. C) brokers. D) dealers.
E) none of the above.
17) Intermediaries who link buyers and sellers by buying and selling securities at stated prices are called
A) investment bankers. B) traders. C) brokers. D) dealers.
E) none of the above.
18) An important financial institution that assists in the initial sale of securities in the primary market is the
A) investment bank. B) commercial bank. C) stock exchange. D) brokerage house.
19) Which of the following statements about financial markets and securities are true?
A) Most common stocks are traded over-the-counter, although the largest corporations have their shares traded at organized stock exchanges such as the New York Stock Exchange.
B) A corporation acquires new funds only when its securities are sold in the primary market. C) Money market securities are usually more widely traded than longer-term securities and so tend
to be more liquid.
D) All of the above are true.
E) Only A and B of the above are true.
20) Which of the following statements about financial markets and securities are true?
A) A bond is a long-term security that promises to make periodic payments called dividends to the firm's residual claimants.
B) A debt instrument is intermediate term if its maturity is less than one year. C) A debt instrument is long term if its maturity is ten years or longer.
D) The maturity of a debt instrument is the time (term) that has elapsed since it was issued.
21) Which of the following statements about financial markets and securities are true?
A) Few common stocks are traded over-the-counter, although the over-the-counter markets have grown in recent years.
B) A corporation acquires new funds only when its securities are sold in the primary market. C) Capital market securities are usually more widely traded than longer term securities and so tend to be more liquid.
D) All of the above are true.
E) Only A and B of the above are true.
22) Which of the following markets is sometimes organized as an over-the-counter market? A) The stock market B) The bond market
C) The foreign exchange market D) The federal funds market E) all of the above
23) Bonds that are sold in a foreign country and are denominated in that country's currency are known as
A) foreign bonds. B) Eurobonds. C) Eurocurrencies. D) Eurodollars.
24) Bonds that are sold in a foreign country and are denominated in a currency other than that of the country in which they are sold are known as A) foreign bonds. B) Eurobonds. C) Eurocurrencies. D) Eurodollars.
25) Financial intermediaries
A) exist because there are substantial information and transaction costs in the economy. B) improve the lot of the small saver.
C) are involved in the process of indirect finance. D) do all of the above.
E) do only A and B of the above.
26) The main sources of financing for businesses, in order of importance, are A) financial intermediaries, issuing bonds, issuing stocks. B) issuing bonds, issuing stocks, financial intermediaries. C) issuing stocks, issuing bonds, financial intermediaries. D) issuing stocks, financial intermediaries, issuing bonds.
27) The presence of transaction costs in financial markets explains, in part, why
A) financial intermediaries and indirect finance play such an important role in financial markets. B) equity and bond financing play such an important role in financial markets.
C) corporations get more funds through equity financing than they get from financial intermediaries.
D) direct financing is more important than indirect financing as a source of funds.
28) Financial intermediaries can substantially reduce transaction costs per dollar of transactions because their large size allows them to take advantage of A) poorly informed consumers. B) standardization. C) economies of scale. D) their market power.
29) The purpose of diversification is to
A) reduce the volatility of a portfolio's return. B) raise the volatility of a portfolio's return. C) reduce the average return on a portfolio. D) raise the average return on a portfolio.
30) An investor who puts all her funds into one asset _________ her portfolio's _________. A) increases; diversification B) decreases; diversification C) increases; average return D) decreases; average return
31) Through risk-sharing activities, a financial intermediary _________ its own risk and _________ the risks of its customers. A) reduces; increases B) increases; reduces C) reduces; reduces D) increases; increases
32) The presence of _________ in financial markets leads to adverse selection and moral hazard