You are the manager for the bond portfolio of a pension fund. The policies of the fund

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You are the manager for the bond portfolio of a pension fund. The policies of the fund allow for the use of active strategies in managing the bond portfolio.
It
appears that the economic cycle is beginning to mature, inflation is expected to accelerate, and in an effort to contain the economic expansion, central bank policy is moving toward constraint. For each of the situations below, state which one of the two bonds you would prefer. Briefly justify your answer in each case.
a. Government of Canada (Canadian pay) 4% due in 2014 and priced at 98.75 to yield 4.50% to maturity.
or
Government of Canada (Canadian pay) 4% due in 2024 and priced at 91.75 to yield 5.19% to maturity.
b. Texas Power and Light Co. 5½ due in 2019, rated AAA, and priced at 90 to yield 7.02% to maturity.
or
Arizona Public Service Co. 5.45 due in 2019, rated A–, and priced at 85 to yield 8.05% to maturity.
c. Commonwealth Edison 2¾ due in 2018, rated Baa, and priced at 81 to yield 7.2% to maturity.
or
Commonwealth Edison 93/8 due in 2018, rated Baa, and priced at 114.40 to yield 7.2% to maturity.
d. Shell Oil Co. 6½ sinking fund debentures due in 2023, rated AAA (sinking fund begins September 2010 at par), and priced at 89 to yield 7.1% to maturity.
or
Warner-Lambert 67/8 sinking fund debentures due in 2023, rated AAA (sinking fund begins April 2017 at par), and priced at 89 to yield 7.1% to maturity.
e. Bank of Montreal (Canadian pay) 5% certificates of deposit due in 2012, rated AAA, and priced at 100 to yield 5% to maturity.
or
Bank of Montreal (Canadian pay) floating-rate note due in 2016, rated AAA. Coupon currently set at 3.7% and priced at 100 (coupon adjusted semiannually to .5% above the 3-month Government of Canada Treasury bill rate).

Debentures
Debenture DefinitionDebentures are corporate loan instruments secured against the promise by the issuer to pay interest and principal. The holder of the debenture is promised to be paid a periodic interest and principal at the term. Companies who...
Coupon
A coupon or coupon payment is the annual interest rate paid on a bond, expressed as a percentage of the face value and paid from issue date until maturity. Coupons are usually referred to in terms of the coupon rate (the sum of coupons paid in a...
Portfolio
A portfolio is a grouping of financial assets such as stocks, bonds, commodities, currencies and cash equivalents, as well as their fund counterparts, including mutual, exchange-traded and closed funds. A portfolio can also consist of non-publicly...
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Investments

ISBN: 9780073530703

9th Edition

Authors: Zvi Bodie, Alex Kane, Alan J. Marcus

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