Question 1:
a) Describe fully why and how government intervenes in the foreign exchange market.
b) "Changes in the equilibrium exchange rate between a pair of currencies rely on changes in the growth rates and interest rates in the two countries". Critically comment on this statement hypothesis.
Question 2:
a) What are options? Discuss their rationales.
b) Write down and explain the Black-Scholes European call option pricing formula. Discuss how call prices change with each of the inputs to the calculation.
c) What is the price of a European call option on a non-dividend paying stock when the stock price is $53, the strike price is $50 and the risk-free rate is 12% per annum, the volatility is 20% per annum and the time to maturity is three months?
d) Differentiate between a Bull and a Bear Spread using illustrative examples.