Chapter 06 Risk Aversion and Capital Allocation to Risky Assets

M Multiple

Choice Questions 1. Which of the following statements regarding risk-averse investors is true? A. They only care about the rate of return.B. They accept investments that are fair games.C. They only accept risky investments that offer risk premiums over the risk-free rate.D. They are willing to accept lower returns and high risk.E. A and B. Risk-averse investors only accept risky investments that offer risk premiums over the risk-free rate.
Difficulty: Moderate

2. Which of the following statements is (are) true? I) Risk-averse investors reject investments that are fair games.II) Risk-neutral investors judge risky investments only by the expected returns.III) Risk-averse investors judge investments only by their riskiness.IV) Risk-loving investors will not engage in fair games. A. I onlyB. II onlyC. I and II onlyD. II and III onlyE. II, III, and IV only Risk-averse investors consider a risky investment only if the investment offers a risk premium. Risk-neutral investors look only at expected returns when making an investment decision.
Difficulty: Moderate

5. In the mean-standard deviation graph, which one of the following statements is true regarding the indifference curve of a risk-averse investor? A. It is the locus of portfolios that have the same expected rates of return and different standard deviations.B. It is the locus of portfolios that have the same standard deviations and different rates of return.C. It is the locus of portfolios that offer the same utility according to returns and standard deviations.D. It connects portfolios that offer increasing utilities according to returns and standard deviations.E. none of the above.

Indifference curves plot trade-off alternatives that provide equal utility to the individual (in this case, the trade-offs are the risk-return characteristics of the portfolios).
Difficulty: Moderate

6. In a return-standard deviation space, which of the following statements is (are) true for risk-averse investors? (The vertical and horizontal lines are referred to as the expected return-axis and the standard deviation-axis, respectively.) I) An investor's own indifference curves might intersect.II)

Indifference curves have negative slopes.III) In a set of indifference curves, the highest offers the greatest utility.IV) Indifference curves of two investors might intersect. A. I and II onlyB. II and III onlyC. I and IV onlyD. III and IV onlyE. none of the above

An investor's indifference curves are parallel, and thus cannot intersect and have positive slopes. The highest indifference curve (the one in the most northwestern position) offers the greatest utility. Indifference curves of investors with similar risk-return trade-offs might intersect.
Difficulty: Moderate

8. When an investment advisor attempts to determine an investor's risk tolerance, which factor would they be least likely to assess? A. the investor's prior investing experienceB. the investor's degree of financial securityC. the investor's tendency to make risky or conservative choicesD. the level of return the investor prefersE. the investor's feeling about loss

Investment advisors would be least likely to assess the level of return the investor prefers. The investors investing experience, financial security, feelings about loss, and disposition toward risky or conservative choices will impact risk tolerance.
Difficulty: Moderate

Assume an investor with the following utility function: U = E(r) - 3/2(s2).

10. To maximize her expected utility, which one of the following investment alternatives would she choose? A. A portfolio that pays 10 percent with a 60 percent probability or 5 percent with 40 percent probability.B. A portfolio that pays 10 percent with 40 percent probability or 5 percent with a 60 percent probability.C. A portfolio that pays 12 percent with 60 percent probability or 5 percent with 40 percent probability.D. A portfolio that pays 12 percent with 40 percent probability or 5 percent with 60 percent probability.E. none of the above. U(c) = 9.02%; highest utility of possibilities.
Difficulty: Difficult

11. A portfolio has an expected rate of return of 0.15 and a standard deviation of 0.15. The risk-free rate is 6 percent. An investor has the following utility function: U = E(r) - (A/2)s2. Which value of A makes this investor indifferent between the risky portfolio and the risk-free asset? A. 5 B. 6C. 7D. 8E. none of the above

0.06 = 0.15 - A/2(0.15)2; 0.06 - 0.15 = -A/2(0.0225); -0.09 = -0.01125A;

A = 8; So U = 0.15 - 8/2(0.15)2 = 6%; same as U(Rf) = 6%.

13. Consider a risky portfolio, A, with an expected rate of return of 0.15 and a standard deviation of 0.15, that lies on a given indifference curve. Which one of the following portfolios might lie on the same indifference curve? A. E(r) = 0.15; Standard deviation = 0.20B. E(r) = 0.15; Standard deviation = 0.10C. E(r) = 0.10; Standard deviation = 0.10D. E(r) = 0.20; Standard deviation = 0.15E. E(r) = 0.10; Standard deviation = 0.20

Portfolio A has a reward-to-risk ratio of 1.0; portfolio C is the only choice with the same risk-return tradeoff.
Difficulty: Difficult

U = E(r) - (A/2)s2, where A = 4.0. 14. Based on the utility function above, which investment would you select? A. 1B. 2C. 3D. 4E. cannot tell from the information given U(c) = 0.21 - 4/2(0.16)2 = 15.88 (highest utility of choices).
Difficulty: Difficult

18. The riskiness of individual assets A. should be considered for the asset in isolation.B. should be considered in the context of the effect on overall portfolio volatility.C. combined with the riskiness of other individual assets (in the proportions these assets constitute of the entire portfolio) should be the relevant risk measure.D. B and C.E. none of the above.

The relevant risk is portfolio risk; thus, the riskiness of an individual security should be considered in the context of the portfolio as a whole.
Difficulty: Easy

19. A fair game A. will not be undertaken by a risk-averse investor.B. is a risky investment with a zero risk premium.C. is a riskless investment. D. Both A and B are true.E. Both A and C are true.

A fair game is a risky investment with a payoff exactly equal to its expected value. Since it offers no risk premium, it will not be acceptable to a riskaverse investor.
Difficulty: Moderate

22. The certainty equivalent rate of a portfolio is A. the rate that a risk-free investment would need to offer with certainty to be considered equally attractive as the risky portfolio.B. the rate that the investor must earn for certain to give up the use of his money.C. the minimum rate guaranteed by institutions such as banks.D. the rate that equates "A" in the utility function with the average risk aversion coefficient for all risk-averse investors. E. represented by the scaling factor "-.005" in the utility function.

The certainty equivalent rate of a portfolio is the rate that a risk-free investment would need to offer with certainty to be considered equally attractive as the risky portfolio.
Difficulty: Moderate

23. According to the mean-variance criterion, which of the statements below is correct? A. Investment B dominates Investment A.B. Investment B dominates Investment C.C. Investment D dominates all of the other investments.D. Investment D dominates only Investment B.E. Investment C dominates investment A.

This question tests the student's understanding of how to apply the meanvariance criterion.
Difficulty: Moderate

25. The Capital Allocation Line can be described as the A. investment opportunity set formed with a risky asset and a risk-free asset.B. investment opportunity set formed with two risky assets.C. line on which lie all portfolios that offer the same utility to a particular investor.D. line on which lie all portfolios with the same expected rate of return and different standard deviations.E. none of the above.

The CAL has an intercept equal to the risk-free rate. It is a straight line through the point representing the risk-free asset and the risky portfolio, in expected-return/standard deviation space.

Difficulty: Moderate

26. Which of the following statements regarding the Capital Allocation Line (CAL) is false? A. The CAL shows risk-return combinations.B. The slope of the CAL equals the increase in the expected return of a risky portfolio per unit of additional standard deviation.C. The slope of the CAL is also called the reward-to-volatility ratio.D. The CAL is also called the efficient frontier of risky assets in the absence of a risk-free asset.E. Both A and D are true.

The CAL consists of combinations of a risky asset and a risk-free asset whose slope is the reward-to-volatility ratio; thus, all statements except d are true.
Difficulty: Moderate

28. An investor invests 30 percent of his wealth in a risky asset with an expected rate of return of 0.15 and a variance of 0.04 and 70 percent in a Tbill that pays 6 percent. His portfolio's expected return and standard deviation are __________ and __________, respectively. A. 0.114; 0.12B. 0.087; 0.06C. 0.295; 0.12D. 0.087; 0.12E. none of the above

E(rP) = 0.3(15%) + 0.7(6%) = 8.7%; sP = 0.3(0.04)1/2 = 6%.

You invest $100 in a risky asset with an expected rate of return of 0.12 and a standard deviation of 0.15 and a T-bill with a rate of return of 0.05. 32. What percentages of your money must be invested in the risky asset and the risk-free asset, respectively, to form a portfolio with an expected return of 0.09? A. 85% and 15%B. 75% and 25%C. 67% and 33%D. 57% and 43%E. cannot be determined 9% = w1(12%) + (1 - w1)(5%); 9% = 12%w1 + 5% - 5%w1; 4% = 7%w1;

w1 = 0.57; 1 - w1 = 0.43; So, 0.57(12%) + 0.43(5%) = 8.99%.

34. A portfolio that has an expected outcome of $115 is formed by A. investing $100 in the risky asset.B. investing $80 in the risky asset and $20 in the risk-free asset.C. borrowing $43 at the risk-free rate and

investing the total amount ($143) in the risky asset.D. investing $43 in the risky asset and $57 in the riskless asset.E. Such a portfolio cannot be formed. For $100, (115 - 100)/100 = 15%; .15 = w1(.12) + (1 - w1)(.05); .15 = .12w1 + .05 - .05w1; 0.10 = 0.07w1; w1 = 1.43($100) = $143; (1 - w1)$100 = -$43.
Difficulty: Difficult

36. Consider a T-bill with a rate of return of 5 percent and the following risky securities: Security A: E(r) = 0.15; Variance = 0.04Security B: E(r) = 0.10; Variance = 0.0225Security C: E(r) = 0.12; Variance = 0.01Security D: E(r) = 0.13; Variance = 0.0625From which set of portfolios, formed with the T-bill and any one of the 4 risky securities, would a risk-averse investor always choose his portfolio? A. The set of portfolios formed with the T-bill and security A.B. The set of portfolios formed with the T-bill and security B. C. The set of portfolios formed with the T-bill and security C.D. The set of portfolios formed with the T-bill and security D.E. Cannot be determined. Security C has the highest reward-to-volatility ratio.
Difficulty: Difficult

You are considering investing $1,000 in a T-bill that pays 0.05 and a risky portfolio, P, constructed with 2 risky securities, X and Y. The weights of X and Y in P are 0.60 and 0.40, respectively. X has an expected rate of return of 0.14 and variance of 0.01, and Y has an expected rate of return of 0.10 and a variance of 0.0081. 37. If you want to form a portfolio with an expected rate of return of 0.11, what percentages of your money must you invest in the T-bill and P, respectively? A. 0.25; 0.75B. 0.19; 0.81C. 0.65; 0.35D. 0.50; 0.50E. cannot be determined E(rp) = 0.6(14%) + 0.4(10%) = 12.4%; 11% = 5x + 12.4(1 - x); x = 0.189 (T-bills) and (1-x) =0.811 (risky asset).
Difficulty: Moderate

38. If you want to form a portfolio with an expected rate of return of 0.10, what percentages of your money must you invest in the T-bill, X, and Y, respectively if you keep X and Y in the same proportions to each other as in portfolio P? A. 0.25; 0.45; 0.30B. 0.19; 0.49; 0.32C. 0.32; 0.41; 0.27D. 0.50; 0.30; 0.20E. cannot be determined E(rp) = .10 = 5w + 12.4(1 - w); x = 0.32 (weight of T-bills); As composition of X and Y are .6 and .4 of P, respectively, then for 0.68 weight in P, the respective weights must be 0.41 and 0.27; .6(.68) = 41%; .4(.68) = 27%
Difficulty: Difficult

40. What would be the dollar value of your positions in X, Y, and the T-bills,

respectively, if you decide to hold a portfolio that has an expected outcome of $1,200? A. Cannot be determinedB. $54; $568; $378C. $568; $54; $378 D. $378; $54; $568E. $108; $514; $378

($1,200 - $1,000)/$1,000 = 12%; (0.6)14% + (0.4)10% = 12.4%; 12% = w5% + 12.4%(1 - w); w = .054; 1 - w = .946;

w = 0.054($1,000) = $54 (T-bills); 1 - w = 1 - 0.054 = 0.946($1,000) = $946 (in P)

$946 x 0.6 = $568 in X; $946 x 0.4 = $378 in Y.

42. The change from a straight to a kinked capital allocation line is a result of: A. reward-to-volatility ratio increasing.B. borrowing rate exceeding lending rate.C. an investor's risk tolerance decreasing.D. increase in the portfolio proportion of the risk-free asset.E. none of the above.

The linear capital allocation line assumes that the investor may borrow and lend at the same rate (the risk-free rate), which obviously is not true. Relaxing this assumption and incorporating the higher borrowing rates into the model results in the kinked capital allocation line.
Difficulty: Difficult

43. The first major step in asset allocation is: A. assessing risk tolerance. B. analyzing financial statements.C. estimating security betas.D. identifying market anomalies.E. none of the above.

A should be the first consideration in asset allocation. B, C, and D refer to security selection.
Difficulty: Moderate

44. Based on their relative degrees of risk tolerance A. investors will hold varying amounts of the risky asset in their portfolios.B. all investors will have the same portfolio asset allocations.C. investors will hold varying amounts of the risk-free asset in their portfolios.D. A and C.E. none of the

above.

By determining levels of risk tolerance, investors can select the optimum portfolio for their own needs; these asset allocations will vary between amounts of risk-free and risky assets based on risk tolerance.
Difficulty: Easy Difficulty: Moderate

Your client, Bo Regard, holds a complete portfolio that consists of a portfolio of risky assets (P) and T-Bills. The information below refers to these assets. 48. What is the expected return on Bo's complete portfolio? A. 10.32% B. 5.28%C. 9.62%D. 8.44%E. 7.58% E(rC) = .8 * 12.00% + .2 * 3.6% = 10.32%
Difficulty: Easy

49. What is the standard deviation of Bo's complete portfolio? A. 7.20% B. 5.40%C. 6.92%D. 4.98%E. 5.76%

Std. Dev. of C = .8 * 7.20% = 5.76%

50. What is the equation of Bo's Capital Allocation Line? A. E(rC) = 7.2 + 3.6 * Standard Deviation of CB. E(rC) = 3.6 + 1.167 * Standard Deviation of C C. E(rC) = 3.6 + 12.0 * Standard Deviation of CD. E(rC) = 0.2 + 1.167 * Standard Deviation of CE. E(rC) = 3.6 + 0.857 * Standard Deviation of C

The intercept is the risk-free rate (3.60%) and the slope is (12.00%3.60%)/7.20% = 1.167.
Difficulty: Moderate

51. What are the proportions of Stocks A, B, and C, respectively in Bo's complete portfolio? A. 40%, 25%, 35%B. 8%, 5%, 7%C. 32%, 20%, 28% D. 16%, 10%, 14%E. 20%, 12.5%, 17.5%

Proportion in A = .8 * 40% = 32%; proportion in B = .8 * 25% = 20%; proportion in C = .8 * 35% = 28%.

53. The Capital Market Line I) is a special case of the Capital Allocation Line. II) represents the opportunity set of a passive investment strategy.III) has the one-month T-Bill rate as its intercept.IV) uses a broad index of common stocks as its risky portfolio. A. I, III, and IVB. II, III, and IVC. III and IVD. I, II, and IIIE. I, II, III, and IV

The Capital Market Line is the Capital Allocation Line based on the onemonth T-Bill rate and a broad index of common stocks. It applies to an investor pursuing a passive management strategy.
Difficulty: Moderate