1) The authors state that empirical tests of purchasing power parity "have, for the most part, not proved PPP to be accurate in predicting future exchange rates." The authors then state that PPP does hold up reasonably well in two situations. What are some reasons why PPP does not accurately predict future exchange rates, and under what conditions might we reasonably expect PPP to hold?
2) Why are foreign currency futures contracts more popular with individuals and banks while foreign currency forwards are more popular with businesses?
3) Compare and contrast foreign currency options and futures. Identify situations when you may prefer one vs. the other when speculating on foreign exchange.
4) Does foreign currency exchange hedging both reduce risk and increase expected value? Explain, and list several arguments in favor of currency risk management and several against.
5) Diversification is possibly the best technique for reducing the problems associated with international transactions. Provide one example each of international financial diversification and international operational diversification and explain how the action reduces risk.
6) If an investor is able to determine a global beta for his portfolio and holds a portfolio that is well-diversified with international investments, which performance measure is more appropriate, the Sharpe Measure or the Treynor Measure? Why? Explain each performance measure.
7) The authors highlight a strong theoretical argument in favor of analyzing any foreign project from the viewpoint of the parent. Provide at least three reasons why the parent's viewpoint is superior to the local viewpoint and give an example of when the local viewpoint fails to maximize the value of the firm.