Interest rate risk management (2) – ACCA (AFM) lectures
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Thank you so much John for these simplified detailed lectures – just wanted to pass my thanks! You’re a star, I feel much much better about tomorrow’s paper 馃檪
Thank you for the lectures John. So much easier to understand the way you’ve done it.
Thank you for your comment 馃檪
Good day sir.
Sir i would like to know how to deal the interest rate swops if we are not told company’s prerace on whether to take loan floating or fix interest rate.
Thanks in advan ce
Hi John,
your example of swap saves both sides a bit of interest costs but clearly isn’t the most effective solution. Company X could borrow fixed at 10% (for themselves) and variable at LIBOR+3% (for company Y) and ask Y to pay back some commission. Y would be willing to pay anything up to 3.5% as this is their saving. Let’s say they split 50:50 so Y pays back 1.75% and we end up with X fixed at 8.25% and Y variable at 4.75%. This is a bit of a swap as Y pays X rate + commission. Would such solution earn any marks or not at all as question is about full swap excercise?
Also, are swaps just an agreement to pay other party’s rates? Otherwise size of a lone would paly role? If not than my solution above would qualify as swap and give better result. Could you please advise?
kind regards
Konrad
I am afraid your suggestion would not be regarded as being a swap for the exam and would not earn marks. Company X would be borrowing twice as much as it needed and then acting as a lender to company Y, whereas the purpose of a swap is to end up borrowing what they need and to end up paying fixed or floating as they require, but to save on the interest.
Is there a reason why we don’t fill in the 9% for LIBOR as in question it says it 9%, why do we calculate it using L + %?
I guess that’s because LIBOR rate is variable, so doesn’t matter that it’s 9% it’s subject to change? So best to write L + %. Is that correct John?
Correct 馃檪
Dear John,
I have found your lectures very helpful.
Thank you very much!
Thank you for your comment 馃檪
Finally i understand how this interest swap is done! your method is so easy to understand.
As you mentioned in the lecture on the second method which is more messier, can i just used your first method which is more simpler in the exam?
just to clarify it because i see the second ‘messy’ method is use commonly in the past paper answer.
Yes, it is fine for the exam (unless the arrangement in the question is specifically stated differently).
great lecture. Thank you
Excellent tutor 馃檪 thank you so much for your presentations , very clean and nice explained
Thank you for the lectures. Just need clarifications. In the exams how do we know the rate at which each of them wants to borrow or the examiner will always indicate
Sir, you are an amazing lecturer. Thank you for being such amazing.
Thank you for your comment 馃檪
Hi John,
In example 1, what’s the incentive for X to do the swap at all? Surely they’re just exposing themselves to more risk?
If they were determined to borrow the money on behalf of Y, why wouldn’t they take out both loans and then split that difference so they could save an extra 1% each?
The question specifically says that they wish to borrow floating – it is not for you in the exam to decide what they should do!!
As I explain in the lecture, they no doubt want to borrow at floating rate because their income fluctuates with interest rates. In that case it would be very sensible in terms of reducing risk.
As for your suggestion – how on earth do you think that they could take out loans for company Y?
John,
Just done example 2 from the notes (Pg 108). How do we know that currently A is borrowing at fixed rate and B at floating? I had them the wrong way around, e.g. A @ floating and B@Fixed.
Thank you, Darshana
The question says that company A’s income fluctuates with interest rates – that implies that they want to borrow floating.
A is not currently borrowing anything. They have the choice of borrowing floating directly, or borrowing fixed and swapping. (I assume you are watching the lectures and not using the lecture notes on their own?)
Dear sir John,
I have a question regarding Mar/Jun 2017- Buryecs
If we have a bank fee in a swap agreement, hw do we keep it under our workings?
Dear John
In illustrating the interest rate swap, some answers in BPP鈥檚 revision kit suggested paying the bank either the LIBOR and/or the balancing interest rate. Should I follow their approach although your method is much easier to understand. However I guess in real life it would be the bank who is the matchmaker to arrange the swap for companies so it makes sense to pay the balancing rates to them?
For the exam it does not matter how the swap is settled up (unless, obviously, the question specifically tells you how it is to be done).
John, in the exam, can it be such that there is no saving on swapping. If yes, then how do we conclude? Do we simply show that there are no potential savings and hence suggest not to swap.
Thanking you in advance for your help. 馃檪
Yes, it could be the case (although unlikely in the exam), in which case you would still show the workings and explain that there would be no saving to be made.