Third Year Comprehensive Examination (TYCE) Handout Page 1 of 33
Third Year Comprehensive Examination (TYCE) Handout Page 1 of 33
Third Year Comprehensive Examination (TYCE) Handout Page 1 of 33
Table of Contents
Sources of Wealth
• Finance provides the decision-making framework for obtaining and investing funds. Finance obtain
funds by generating money or wealth. In economics, there are different sources of wealth. Figure 1
shows the sources or origin of wealth and the type of wealth obtained from them.
INDIRECT FINANCE
FUNDS FUNDS
Financial
Intermediaries
Lenders Borrowers
1. Household 1. Business
FUNDS Financial FUNDS
2. Business 2. Government
Markets
3. Government 3. Households
4. Foreigners 4. Foreigners
DIRECT FINANCE
thus, they need to borrow funds from the lenders. Businesses borrow funds to support growth and
expansion, while governments use the funds to finance infrastructure and other community projects.
• There are two (2) routes where funds can be transferred from the lenders to the borrowers: direct and
indirect financing. Direct financing is where fund demanders borrow directly from the fund providers
by selling financial instruments in the financial markets. On the other hand, indirect financing is the
route where borrowing between both parties happens indirectly through the intervention of another
party called the financial intermediary.
Elements of the Financial System
1. Lenders and borrowers (Who are the players?) – They are the non-financial economic units that
undertake the lending and borrowing process.
• Lenders – Also known as fund providers, they are parties that have excess funds that they can
lend out to other entities for a required return.
• Borrowers – Also known as fund demanders, they are the parties who are willing to pay the
required return to obtain additional funds to finance their investment initiative.
2. Financial intermediaries (How will the exchange occur?) – They intermediate the lending and
borrowing process. They gather funds from lenders and redistribute them to borrowers through an
investment vehicle like loans.
3. Financial Instrument (What will be used?) – It is the medium of exchange of a party's contractual
obligation, where such a contract can be traded. These can be marketable or non-marketable.
4. Financial Markets (Where will it be traded?) – They are the economic market where the suppliers and
buyers meet.
5. Regulatory Environment (How is it controlled?) – The governing body that ensures the compliance of
transactions that occur within the financial system with the laws and regulations imposed on the actors
and the elements that play within.
6. Creation of money (What is the value created?) - With the flow of financial instruments, money is
created. Then, the money is either reinvested or earned out of the system flows.
7. Price discovery (How much is created?) – It is the process of determining or valuing the financial
instrument in the market.
8. Brokers and Dealers – They are members of financial intermediaries that facilitate the trade of financial
instruments. Some examples of brokers-dealers in the Philippines are COL Financial Group, Inc., BPI
Securities Corporation, BDO Nomura Securities, Inc., and First Metro Securities Brokerage
Corporation.
9. Fund Managers – They are corporate entities or departments of financial intermediaries that manage
funds on behalf of principals (owners or holders of money). Some examples of fund managers in the
country are BPI- Asset Management & Trust Corp (BPI-AMTC); BDO Unibank, Inc. (BDO); BSP
Provident Fund Office (BSPPFO); and Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP).
10. Financial Exchanges – They allow the broker-dealers to facilitate trading in securities and create a
mechanism for clearing and settlement of trades in a risk-minimizing manner. The national exchange
in the country is the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE).
11. Credit Rating Agencies – They analyze relevant financial and economic data about the issuers of
securities and assign ratings to the securities reflecting the probability of the issuers meeting their
financial obligations (interest and principal). The three (3) major rating companies are Standard &
Poor’s Corporation (S&P), Moody’s Investor Service, and Fitch Ratings.
cash offers liquidity to the investors. Liquidity is significant because, without it, an investor will be forced
to hold the financial instrument. The seller will not be contractually obligated to pay until such a time
when the conditions in the agreement to dispose or sell the instrument, respectively, happen.
EXAMPLE: Santi Corporation plans to increase its production of cleanroom products. The plan will
eventually increase the needed raw materials. To finance the materials, Santi Company may just enter
the money market and issue its instrument, rather than personally searching for a company to buy it.
• Reduction in Transaction Costs – The financial markets reduce the cost of asymmetric information
between the buyer and the seller, specifically in terms of economies of scale and expertise. Economies
of scale can be achieved when the company has cheaper access to capital. Asymmetric information
occurs when one party to an economic transaction possesses greater material knowledge than the
other party.
EXAMPLE: Lite Shipping Incorporated plans to add six (6) vessels that will serve passengers from
Bohol to Cagayan De Oro City. The Chief of Financial Officer (CFO) of the shipping line is looking for
a possible financial instrument to finance the plan. Instead of establishing an in-house department to
look for potential investment, the CFO may enter a financial market. Entering the market will reduce the
cost of information in evaluating the characteristics of an instrument (e.g., profitability, marketability,
liquidity, etc.).
d. Tap Issue – It occurs when issuers are open to receive bids for their securities at all times.
They maintain the right to accept or reject the bid prices based on how much funds they need
and when they need them.
2. Secondary market - Where the securities issued in the primary market are subsequently traded.
It also becomes a centralized marketplace wherein buyers and sellers can quickly and efficiently
transact to save on search and information as they do not need to look for transactions
independently.
There are two (2) classifications of secondary markets according to market structure.
a. Order-Driven Market Structure - It is also known as the auction market, wherein the buyers
and sellers propose their prices through their brokers, who convey the bid in a centralized
location. The securities will be awarded to the buyer with the same offer price as the seller's
selling price.
These are the types of orders in an order-driven market structure:
• Day orders – Orders that are only valid until the end of the business day. All orders not
executed at the end of the day will be canceled and removed from the system.
• Limit orders – Orders where clients set a price or price range below or above the existing
price.
• Good-till-canceled order – Orders that last until they are completed or canceled within a
sustained period.
• Market orders – Orders that are placed under broker-dealers. The client relies on the
expertise and integrity of the broker-dealer to execute deals when the current price is
considered best.
b. Quote-Driven Market Structure – This is also known as the primary dealer market or market-
made market. In this structure, market makers play a major role. Market makers are dealers
who create a market by establishing a bid quote and an offer quote. Bid quote or bid price
represents the highest price an investor is willing to pay for a security, while offer quote or ask
price represents the price that an investor is willing to sell the security for. Generally, the bid
quote is lower than the offer quote, and their difference, which is called the spread, becomes
the profit of the market makers.
B. Based on Where the Instruments are Traded
1. Over-the-counter (OTC) – This is the place where in addition to listed securities, unlisted financial
instruments are allowed to be traded. This market does not have a trading floor. Instead, the buy
and sell orders are completed through a communication network such as the National Association
of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (Nasdaq), Instinet, Selectnet, and Bloomberg Trade
book.
2. Exchanges – They are centralized trading locations where financial instruments are purchased or
sold between market participants. To be traded, all instruments must be listed by the organized
exchange. To reiterate, the national exchange in the country is the PSE.
a. Domestic Market –The issuers who are considered residents in a country issue securities and
afterward trade them inside their country. For example, a Philippine company issues and trades
securities within the Philippines.
b. Foreign Market – The issuers who are residents of a country issue securities and subsequently
trade them in that country. For example, a US company issues and trades securities within the
Philippines.
2. External Market – Where securities that have two (2) unique characteristics are being traded.
a. Upon issuance, these securities are offered simultaneously to investors in different countries.
b. Securities are issued outside the regulatory jurisdiction of any single country.
Financial Regulation
• Systemic risk – The firm’s probability of failing its objective that will result in a ripple effect.
• Consumer protection – The government must consider the effects of implementing the rules and
policies on the consumers' welfare.
• Efficiency enhancement – Ensures dynamism and agility of the government policies to adapt in a
fast-changing environment. The essential tools in enhancing the efficiency of the financial system are
competition policy and antitrust enforcement.
• Social objectives – The government policies must be aligned with the goals of society. Among the
risks and factors, the “social objectives” have a broader scope.
Regulation of Market Drivers
• Competitiveness – The firms in the financial market should know how to respond and maximize their
leverage in the industry.
• Market Behavior – The integrity of the firms in the market can be shown through their activities and
representations.
• Consistency – How firms could maintain their rapport in terms of shared information dictates the
clients' trust.
• Stability – A challenge arises when a firm will not meet its commitment because it fails to forecast and
mitigate the market risks. Otherwise, systemic instability occurs. Systemic instability arises when a firm
will not meet its commitment because it fails to address market risks.
Financial Regulators
1. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) – An attached agency of the Department of Finance, created
under the Republic Act 7653 (New Central Bank Act). The BSP acts as the central monetary authority,
a corporate body responsible for money, banking, and credit. It is also responsible for the supervision
of financial institutions, and it exercises regulatory powers.
Its function includes the following:
• Liquidity Management – It formulates and issues monetary policy aimed at influencing money
supply to maintain price stability.
• Currency Issue – It has the sole responsibility of issuing notes and coins representing the national
currency of the Philippines.
• Lender of last resort – The provider of discounts, advances, and financial support to a financial
institution to maintain its liquidity.
• Financial supervision – It regularly supervises the financial institutions and over non-banking
institutions performing quasi-banking functions.
• Management of foreign currency reserves – It ensures that sufficient international reserves will
be made available on time.
• Determination of exchange rate policy – It determines the rate of the Philippine Peso over the
different currencies.
• Other activities – It acts as a banker, financial advisor, and official depositary of the government
and its instrumentalities.
To carry its functions, the BSP is divided into four (4) sectors which are:
• Currency Management Sector (CMS) – It is responsible for the production, distribution, disposal,
or retirement of currencies in the Philippines. Examples of offices are the Currency Issue and
Integrity Office, BSP Regional Offices and Branches, and Cash Department.
• Monetary and Economics Sector (MES) – It conducts monetary policy formulation, ensures its
implementation, and assesses its effectiveness. Examples of offices under this sector are the
Department of Economic Research, Department of Economic Statistics, and the International
Relations Department.
• Financial Supervision Sector (FSS) – It is responsible for the supervision and regulation of banks
and other financial institutions under the scope of BSP. Examples of offices under this sector are
the Department of Supervisory Analytics, Financial System Integrity Department, and Financial
Supervision Departments.
• Corporate Services Sector (CSS) – It is a support group that conducts capital management,
financial services, information technology support, and other corporate resource management. The
Provident Fund Office, Payment and Settlements Office, Sectoral Operations Management
Department are examples of offices under this sector.
2. Insurance Commission (IC) – Under Executive Order No. 192 series of 2015, the Insurance
Commission was established to ensure enforcement of the provisions of R.A. 10607 (Insurance Code).
Its purpose is to regulate and supervise the industry of insurance, pre-need, and health maintenance
organization. It is also responsible for issuing licenses to insurance agents, general agents, resident
agents, underwriters, brokers, adjusters, and actuaries.
3. Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) – It is a national government regulatory agency created
on October 26, 1963, under Commonwealth Act No. 83. It is tasked to administer oversight on the
corporate sector, capital market participants, securities, and investment instruments and promote
corporate governance.
4. Board of Investments (BOI) – It is an attached agency of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI),
created under E.O. No. 226 (Omnibus Investment Code of 1987). It promotes local and foreign
investments in the Philippines. It provides advisory, actualization, and post services to the investors.
Monetary Policy
1. Expansionary Monetary Policy – The setting that intends to increase the level of liquidity/money
supply in the economy and which could also result in a relatively higher inflation path for the economy.
Examples are the lowering of policy interest rates and the reduction in reserve requirements. It tends
to encourage economic activity as more funds are made available for lending by banks. It, in turn,
increases aggregate demand, which could eventually fuel inflation pressures in the domestic economy.
2. Contractionary Monetary Policy – The setting that intends to decrease the level of liquidity/money
supply in the economy and which could also result in a relatively lower inflation path for the economy.
Examples of this are increases in policy interest rates and reserve requirements. It tends to limit
economic activity as fewer funds are made available for lending by banks. It, in turn, lowers aggregate
demand, which could eventually temper inflation pressures in the domestic economy.
Basic Approaches to Monetary Policy
• Inflation Targeting – This is the current approach wherein the BSP announces an explicit inflation
target. It is done by setting an official target for inflation then adding a “tolerance band” in which inflation
can fluctuate (example: 3.0% official target ± 1.0% tolerance band is equal to 3.0%± 1.0% point). It
focuses on achieving price stability as the ultimate objective of the monetary policy. Thus, the BSP can
exceed the monetary targets as long as the actual inflation rate is kept within program levels.
• Monetary Aggregate Targeting – This is the old approach. This approach assumes a stable and
predictable relationship between money, output, and inflation. When money velocity, which is the
number of times that the average unit of currency is used to purchased goods and services, remains
steady over time, changes in the money supply are directly related to price changes or inflation. Given
the desired level of inflation consistent with economic growth objectives, it is assumed that the BSP
can determine the level of money supply needed; thus, the BSP indirectly controls inflation by targeting
money supply.
Inflation Defined
• Inflation refers to the rate of change in the average price of goods and services typically purchased by
consumers. There is price stability if inflation is low and stable. Sometimes, inflation is also defined as
the annual percentage change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which is the average price of a
standard basket of goods and services consumed by a typical Filipino family for a given period.
𝐶𝑃𝐼1
𝐼𝑛𝑓𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 = {( ) − 1} 𝑥 100%
𝐶𝑃𝐼0
Where,
𝐶𝑃𝐼1 is the consumer price index of the current year; and
𝐶𝑃𝐼0 is the consumer price index of the prior year.
Illustrative Example:
The average price of a standard basket of goods and services consumed by a typical Filipino for the
years 2018 and 2019 were 118 and 120. Therefore, inflation for the year 2019 is:
120
𝐼𝑛𝑓𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 = {( ) − 1} 𝑥 100
118
𝐼𝑛𝑓𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 = 0.0169 𝑥 100%
𝐼𝑛𝑓𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 = 1.69%
It means that prices went up by 1.69% for the year 2019. Thus, the purchasing power of P1.00 for the
year 2019 is 1.69% lesser than in 2018.
• Two (2) types of inflation:
1. Headline Inflation – The rate of change in the weighted average prices of all goods and services in
the CPI.
2. Core Inflation – It is an alternative measure of inflation that eliminates transitory or temporary effects
on the CPI. It is done by removing certain components subject to volatile price movements from
the goods and services. Examples are food and energy and other items affected by supply-side
factors, in which the monetary policy cannot control price changes.
Fiscal Policy
• Fiscal policy is the government’s policy on generating its resources through taxation and/or borrowing
and the setting of the level and allocation of expenditures.
There are also two (2) fiscal policy setting:
1. Expansionary Fiscal Policy – It increases the level of aggregate demand through either increase
in government spending or reductions in taxes. The expansionary policy can do this by:
a. Increasing consumption by raising disposable income through cuts in personal income taxes or
payroll taxes;
b. Increasing investments by raising after-tax profits through cuts in business taxes; and
c. Increasing government purchases through increased spending by the government on final
goods and services and raising grants for local governments to increase their expenditures on
final goods and services.
2. Contractionary Fiscal Policy – It decreases the level of aggregate demand by reducing
consumption, investments, and government spending through cuts in government spending or
increases in taxes.
• Fiscal policy also has three (3) components: the revenue policy, debt management policy, and
expenditure policy.
1. Revenue Policy – The government's policy in raising revenues, which is rooted in the "ability to
pay” concept. Revenues can be raised administratively or legislatively through taxation. Revenue
generation must be equitable and efficient.
2. Debt Management Policy – It is the government’s policy in attaining a manageable debt level. A
manageable debt level is obtained when the country can afford to pay its maturing liabilities as
scheduled. Usually, borrowings are incurred to finance development projects. However, recently,
they are used as budget support for various government programs and projects, such as Overseas
Development Assistance (ODA).
3. Expenditure Policy – The government’s policy of effective and efficient allocation of funds to
implement public policy. The funds are disbursed by the government to efficiently deliver services
to the public and help the economy grow by supporting priority sectors. Moreover, it is also a means
of ensuring that government expenditures are consistent with the approved surplus or deficit
program for the year. The surplus program is implemented at times of inflation to reduce aggregate
demand, while a deficit program is implemented in times of recession to generate additional
demand.
Financial Reporting of Banking Institutions
A. Philippine Financial Reporting Standards (PFRS)/Philippine Accounting Standards (PAS) –
These are a set of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) issued by the Accounting
Standard Council. As a general rule all, BSP-Supervised Financial Institutions (BSFIs) shall comply
with all provisions of PFRS/PAS in preparing their audited financial statements, EXCEPT for the
following:
• Consolidated financial statements – Under PAS 27, all bank/quasi-bank subsidiaries, regardless
of type, are consolidated on a line-by-line basis. However, for prudential reporting purposes,
financial allied subsidiaries, except insurance companies, are consolidated with the financial
statements of the parent bank on a line-by-line basis. Non-financial allied subsidiaries and
insurance subsidiaries are accounted for using the equity method.
• Provisioning requirement – The BSFIs adopt the provisions of PFRS/PAS in booking provisions
for credit losses in preparing the general-purpose financial statements/audited financial statements.
However, for prudential reporting purposes, BSFIs are required to adopt the expected credit loss
model in measuring credit impairment following the provisions of PFRS 9. The BSFIs are also
required to set up general loan loss provision (GLLP) equivalent to 1% of all outstanding Stage 1
on-balance sheet loans, except for accounts considered credit risk-free under existing regulations.
However, they are not required to provide a 1% GP on other credit exposures covered by PFRS 9,
such as off-balance-sheet accounts and investments. Allowance for credit losses for Stages 1, 2,
and 3 accounts shall be recognized in the profit or loss statement. In cases when the computed
allowance for credit losses on Stage 1 accounts is less than the 1 % GP required, the deficiency
shall be recognized by appropriating the Retained Earnings (RE) account.
• Deemed cost of real and other properties acquired in settlement of loans (ROPA) – In
computing the deemed cost of ROPA, BSFIs are required to value the property at initial recognition
based on the carrying amount of the asset given up in the exchange (i.e., carrying amount of the
loan, instead of the fair value of the real and other property acquired).
• Accrual of interest income on non-performing loans – Interest income is allowed to be
recognized on non-performing exposures for purposes of preparing the general-purpose financial
statements/audited financial statements. However, for prudential reporting purposes, BSFIs cannot
recognize interest income on non-performing exposures, except when payment is received.
B. Basel II Capital Adequacy Framework – It is an international banking standard set by the Basel
Committee on Banking. It is also known as the International Convergence of Capital Measurement and
Capital Standards. One of the framework guidelines is establishing a 10% risk-based capital adequacy
ratio (CAR) of universal and commercial banks. The CAR is expressed as a percentage of the qualifying
capital to risk-weighted assets.
It is also designed to meet the BSP’s statistical requirements in the Philippine banking system, such as
the following:
1. Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) – The ratio of total qualifying capital to risk-weighted assets
computed under the risk-based capital adequacy framework.
2. Density Ratio – It refers to the ratio of the total number of domestic banking offices to the total
number of cities/municipalities in the Philippines.
3. Customer Ratio – It refers to the ratio of the total population to the total number of domestic
banking offices.
All banking institutions are required to prepare the FRP in any of the following applicable bases:
1. Solo Basis – It is the combined financial statements of the head office and branches/other offices.
2. Consolidated Basis – The combined financial statements of the parent bank and subsidiaries
consolidated on a line by line basis. Thus, a balance sheet item of the parent bank is combined
with the item of the subsidiaries (e.g. inventory of the parent bank is combined with the inventory
of the subsidiaries). Only banks with financial allied subsidiaries, excluding insurance subsidiaries,
shall submit the report on a consolidated basis.
Also, the FRP is designed to reflect the two (2) types of books:
1. Regular Banking Book – It is composed of peso accounts and foreign accounts.
2. Foreign Currency Deposit Units (FCDU) – It is composed of foreign currency deposits.
Expectations Theory
• This theory assumes that interest rates are driven by expectations of the lender or borrowers in risks
that might be present in the market in the future. This theory attempts to predict what short-term interest
rates will be in the future based on current long-term interest rates.
a. Pure Expectations Theory – This theory believes that the term structure reflected in the shape of
the yield curve is determined solely by the expectations of interest rates.
(1+𝑡 𝑖2 )2 = (1+𝑡 𝑖1 )(1+𝑡+1 𝑟1 )
Where,
+𝑡 𝑖2 is the known annualized interest rate of two-year security at time 𝑡,
+𝑡 𝑖𝑖 is the known annualized interest rate of one-year security at time 𝑡, and
+𝑡+1 𝑟1 is the one-year interest rate that is anticipated as of time 𝑡 + 1. It is also known as
the forward rate.
Illustrative Example:
A 1-year treasury bill has a coupon rate of 2%, and a 2-year treasury note has a coupon rate of
3%. Based on the pure expectations theory, what is the 1-year interest rate that is anticipated at
𝑡 + 1 (2nd year)?
Answer:
Let +𝑡 𝑖2 = 3%;
+𝑡 𝑖𝑖 = 2%
+𝑡+1 𝑟1 = 𝑥
(1+𝑡 𝑖2 )2 = (1+𝑡 𝑖𝑖 )(1+𝑡+1 𝑟1 )
(1.03)2 = (1.02)(1 + 𝑥)
Then, find the value of 𝑥,
1.0609 = 1.02 + 1.02𝑥
𝑥 = 4.00980%
Therefore, the 1-year interest rate that is anticipated in the 2nd year is 4.00980%.
b. Biased Expectations Theory – This theory proposes that the future value of interest rates is always
biased. It is based on expectations, sentiments, and what people expect from the market today.
The present market expectations affect the term structure of the loans as well as interest rates.
Forward rates (the interest rate that applies to financial transactions that will take place in the future)
are adjusted if the borrower's liquidity will be weaker or more reliable in the future. It is also known
as a liquidity premium. Biased Expectations Theory is further divided into two (2):
o Liquidity Preference Theory – This theory believes that investors prefer short-term liquid
securities and may be willing only to invest in long-term securities if compensated with a
premium for the lower degree of liquidity.
o Preferred Habit Theory – This theory proposes that, although investors and borrowers may
normally concentrate on a particular maturity market, certain events may cause them to wander
from their “natural” market/habitat. The natural market is the range of security maturity the
investors and borrowers preferred. For example, commercial banks that obtain mostly short-
term funds may select investments with short-term maturities as a natural habitat. However, if
they wish to benefit from an anticipated decline in interest rates, they may select medium and
long-term maturities instead.
𝑖 = 𝑅𝑓 + 𝐷𝑚
Where,
𝑖 is interest;
𝐷𝑚 is the debt margin or debt spread or the risk premium; and
𝑅𝑓 is the risk-free rate.
Illustrative Example:
Punzalan Merchandise plans to borrow P1,000,000 funds from Cristine Company. The risk-free rate
imposed on the loan is 5%. Cristine’s debt margin is 3%. How much interest rate should Cristine
Company impose on Punzalan Merchandise?
Solution:
Let 𝑖 = interest,
𝑅𝑓 = 5%
𝐷𝑚 = 3%
𝑖 = 𝑅𝑓 + 𝐷𝑚
𝑖 = 5% + 3%
• The risk-premium is the spread between the interest rates on bonds with default risk and default-free
bonds with the same maturity. An example of it is the difference between the interest rates of a Treasury
bond and a corporate bond. The BSP issued the Treasury Bond while a private company issues the
corporate bond. Initially, both bonds have the same attribute: identical default risk, equilibrium prices,
and maturity; and the risk premium on the corporate bond is zero (0).
• If there is a possibility of an increase in default because a corporation suffers a loss, the default risk of
the corporate bond will increase. Thus, decreasing the expected return of the said bond will cause the
demand curve of the corporate bond to shift to the left (decrease in demand). A decrease in demand
for the bond will lower the bond price and thus lower the price of the interest rate.
𝑅𝑓 = 𝑅𝑓𝑟 + 𝐼𝑛𝑓𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
• The equation above is the formula of a nominal rate. The nominal rate (𝑅𝑓 ) is a rate that does not adjust
for inflation. It is the rate quoted on bonds and loans. For example, if you borrow P100 at a 6% interest
rate, you can expect to pay P6 in interest without considering inflation.
• On the other hand, the real-risk free rate ( 𝑅𝑓𝑟 ) is a rate that adjusts to the expected inflation or the
purchasing power of the Philippine Peso. It reflects the real cost of funds and the real yield to the lender
or borrower. It can be expressed in the following formula:
𝑅𝑓𝑟 = 𝑅𝑓 − 𝐼𝑛𝑓𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
• Suppose the bank loans a person P200,000 to purchase a house at a rate of 3% - the nominal interest
rate not factoring the inflation. Assume the inflation rate is 2%. The real interest rate the borrower is
paying is 1%. The real interest rate the bank is receiving is 1%. It means the purchasing power of the
bank only increases by 1%.
Illustrative Example:
Tulang Corp. plans to borrow P1,000,000 funds from Caventa Financing. The risk-free rate imposed
on the loan is 6%. Currently, the BSP announces a 2% inflation. In the following year, the monetary
board expects a 1% increase in inflation. Caventa still finds that the 4% debt margin remains to be
relevant. How much interest rate should Caventa Financing impose on Tulang Corporation?
Solution:
The given 6% risk-free rate is the nominal rate. Compute for the real risk-free rate using its formula by
subtracting the current inflation rate from the nominal rate,
𝑅𝑓𝑟 = 𝑅𝑓 − 𝐼𝑛𝑓𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
𝑅𝑓𝑟 = 6% − 2%
𝑅𝑓𝑟 = 4%
𝑖 = 𝑅𝑓 + 𝐷𝑚
𝑖 = 7% + 4%
𝑖 = 11%
Thus, the interest that Caventa should impose on Tulang Corporation is 11%. But will this be acceptable
to Tulang Corporation? It depends on the assessment that the company will make. If the company
assessed that the interest would go worse than 11% in the future, then the loan is a good offer. On the
other hand, if Tulang Corporation finds a financing company that offers lower than the 11% of Caventa
Financing, then it might reconsider.
Answer:
𝑉−𝑀 1,000 − 1,300 −300
𝐼+( ) (1,000 )(5%) + ( ) 50 + ( )
𝑖= 𝑛 𝑥 100% = 10 𝑥 100%𝑖 = 10 𝑥 100
𝑉+𝑀 1,000 + 1,300 2,300
2 2 2
50 − 30 20
= 𝑥 100% = 𝑥 100%
1150 1150
𝒊 = 𝟏. 𝟕𝟒 %
The interest rate in the market, which is 1.74%, is lower than the nominal interest of 5%, meaning the bonds
are perceived to be riskier than the nominal rate.
Answer:
50 + 30 80
𝑖= 𝑥 100% = 𝑥 100%
850 850
𝒊 = 𝟗. 𝟒𝟏 %
The market rate now is 6.96%, which is higher than the nominal rate of 5%.
Credit Ratings
1. Standard and Poor’s Corporation (S&P) – An American financial service founded by Henry Varnum
Poor in New York in 1941. It gathers data from 128 countries using 1,500 credit analysts. The credit
rating provided by S&P were categorized to Investment Grade and Non-Investment Grade.
Category Definition
AAA S&P Global Ratings assigns the highest rating. The obligor's capacity to meet its
financial commitments on the obligation is extremely strong.
Category Definition
AA The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is very
strong.
A Somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances
and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the
obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is still strong.
BBB Exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions
or changing circumstances are more likely to weaken the obligor's capacity to meet
its financial commitments on the obligation.
BB, B, CCC, Regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. BB indicates the least
CC, and C degree of speculation and C the highest. While such obligations will likely have
some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large
uncertainties or significant exposure to adverse conditions.
BB Less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces
significant ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or
economic conditions that could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its
financial commitments on the obligation.
B More vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated BB, but the obligor currently
can meet its financial commitments on the obligation. Adverse business, financial,
or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor's capacity or willingness to meet
its financial commitments on the obligation.
CCC Currently vulnerable to nonpayment and depends on favorable business, financial,
and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitments on the
obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the
obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitments on the
obligation.
CC Currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. It is used when a default has not yet
occurred, but S&P Global Ratings expects default to be a virtual certainty,
regardless of the anticipated time to default.
C Currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have
lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared with obligations that
are rated higher.
D In default or breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, it is
used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P
Global Ratings believes that such payments will be made within five (5) business
days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated
grace period or 30 calendar days. It is also used upon the filing of a bankruptcy
petition or in taking of similar action. It when the default on an obligation is a virtual
certainty, for example, due to automatic stay provisions.
2. Moody’s Investors Service (Moody’s) – A credit rating company on debt securities established in
1909 in New York, USA. It gathers information from more than 130 countries, more than 4,000 non -
corporate financial issues, and financial institutions.
Category Definition
Aaa Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, with minimal credit risk
Aa Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low
credit risk.
A Obligations rated A are considered upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit
risk
Baa Obligations rated Baa are subject to moderate credit risk. They are considered
medium-grade and, as such, may possess certain speculative characteristics.
Ba Obligations rated Ba are judged to have speculative elements and are subject to
substantial credit risk
B Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk
Category Definition
Caa Obligations rated Caa are judged to be of poor standing and are subject to very high
credit risk.
Ca Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default,
with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.
C Obligations rated C are the lowest rated and are typically in default, with little
prospect for recovery of principal or interest.
3. Fitch Ratings – It was founded in 1914 in New York, USA. It is owned by the global and information
company Hearst. Fitch provides credit opinions based on credit analysis and extensive research.
Category Definition
AAA Highest credit quality
AA Very high credit quality
A High credit quality
BBB Good credit quality
BB Speculative
B Highly speculative
CCC Substantially credit risk
CC Very high levels of credit risk
C Near default
RD Restricted default
D Default
from withdrawing funds on demand. The concept behind the NCD is that investors are willing to accept
a higher return in exchange for having no access to liquidity.
• Commercial Paper – It is a short-term debt instrument issued only by well-known, creditworthy firms
typically unsecured. Examples of firms that issue commercial papers in the country are Phoenix
Petroleum Philippines, Cirtek Holdings Philippines Corp, and BDO Leasing and Finance, Inc.
Commercial paper is normally issued to provide liquidity or finance a firm’s investment in inventory and
accounts receivable. The issuance of commercial paper is an alternative to short-term bank loans.
Some large firms prefer to issue commercial paper rather than borrow from a bank because it is usually
a cheaper source of funds. Nevertheless, even the large creditworthy firms that can issue commercial
paper normally obtain short-term loans from commercial banks to maintain a business relationship.
Financial institutions such as finance companies and bank holding companies are major issuers of
commercial paper.
• Banker’s Acceptances – An order to pay a specified amount of money to the bearer on a specified date.
Banker’s acceptances are often used to finance the purchase of goods that have not yet been
transferred from the seller to the buyer. Moreover, it is formed when the bank’s client makes a draft or
a promise to pay and the bank then ultimately accepts to pay on behalf of the client. The bank’s
acceptance of the drafts translates to a promise to pay to whoever will present it to the bank. The client
now then gives the draft to the vendor to finance the purchase.
Money Market Valuation
• One should understand and evaluate which market securities to invest in, depending on the purpose
of the business. In the money market, securities may be evaluated based on their interest rates and
liquidity.
• Interest rates dictate the potential return that can be received from an investment. Interest rates on
money market securities tend to be relatively low due to the low risks associated with them and the
short maturity period. Moreover, they have a deep market, and thus, they are competitively priced. Also,
most money market securities carry the same profile and attributes, making each instrument a close
substitute for the other. Hence, if particular security may have an interest rate that deviates from the
average rate, the supply and demand forces in the market would ultimately correct it and force it back
to the average rate.
• On the other hand, liquidity refers to how quick, efficient, and cheap the security can be converted to
cash. Treasury bills with a secondary market are considered to be more liquid than commercial papers
that do not have a secondary market. It is for the reason that, as mentioned above, commercial papers
are held until it matures. Thus, the brokers shall make more effort to look for potential buyers of the
securities compared to treasury bills. Eventually, this will lead the brokers to charge a higher fee for
investors who wanted to liquidate their commercial paper.
• Another way of evaluating the money market securities is by evaluating their market value. Valuation
is important because it will help an investor determine what amount he/she is willing to pay in exchange
for security. It can be done through the present value approach. The formula in solving the present
value of the future cash flows of a money market security is given below.
𝑆𝑏
𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑘𝑒𝑡 𝑆𝑒𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑉𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒 =
(1 + 𝐼)𝑛
Where,
𝑆𝑏 is the face value of the security,
𝐼 is the interest rate, and
𝑛 is the number of periods.
Illustrative Example:
Rosemarie Ayuban is planning to invest in the money market. One of the alternatives is to invest in a one-
year Treasury bill with a face value of P10,000 and an annual interest rate of 3%. Using the formula above,
the market price or market security value is:
𝑆𝑏 P10,000
𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑘𝑒𝑡 𝑆𝑒𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑉𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒 = = = 𝐏𝟗. 𝟕𝟎𝟖. 𝟕𝟒
(1 + 𝐼)𝑛 (1 + 3%)1
This means that Rosemarie will be willing to pay P9,708.74 for a Treasury bill based on the risks
surrounding the instrument. Moreover, Rosemarie will get a return of P291.26 from the investment.
Assume instead that another P10,000 Treasury bill with a maturity term of 90 days with an annual interest
rate of 4% is being evaluated. Using 360 days, the value of the Treasury bill is:
𝑆𝑏 P10,000
𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑘𝑒𝑡 𝑆𝑒𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑉𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒 = = = 𝐏𝟗, 𝟗𝟎𝟏
(1 + 𝐼)𝑛 (1 + 1%)1
The term in the above example is 90 days, while the given rate is an annual rate. Thus, 4% must be
90
multiplied by to get the interest rate in the said tenor, which is 1%.
360
In solving for the market value of an instrument, one must remember the general rule: as the interest rate
rises, the value of security lowers. This means that the market risk increases, which causes the value of
the security to reduce.
payments. Because the Treasury notes and bonds are free from credit (default) risk, they enable the
Treasury to borrow funds at a relatively low cost. Although governments rarely default on their debt
obligations, there were past instances when they did. In the Philippines, there are specific types of
government bonds that are being issued. They are the following:
o Treasury Bonds – Peso-denominated securities regularly issued by the national government. Their
issuance can be done through the following methods of origination as may be prescribed in an
offering document:
1. Auction – It is a mode of sale or offering government securities participated by accredited
Government Securities Eligible Dealers (GSEDs) such as Bank of Commerce, Bank of the
Philippine Islands (BPI), BDO Capital, and Investment Corporation, and Land Bank of the
Philippines (LBP). GSEDs submit their bids electronically through the auction front-end system
of the Bureau of Treasury (BTr) called the Automated Debt Auction Processing System
(ADAPS). Submitted bids are evaluated for acceptance, award, or rejection by the Auction
Committee composed of the secretary of the Department of Finance (DOF) as chairman; the
treasurer of the Philippines as vice chairman; the deputy treasurer of the Philippines as a
member and executive director; and an assistant secretary of the DOF, the deputy governor of
the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the head of Treasury of the BSP, and the head of Market
Regulation Department of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as members. A
regular division of the BTr provides administrative support to the Auction Committee.
2. Tap Method – It is the sale of government securities (GS) exclusively to GSEDs whenever
there is an acute shortage of securities in the market. The BTr conducts the issuance of GS
through the tap method.
3. Over-the-Counter (OTC) Method – It is the sale of government securities to tax-exempt
institutions, government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs), and local government
units (LGUs). The BTr conducts the issuance of GS through the OTC Method.
o Retail Treasury Bonds (RTBs) – They are direct and unconditional obligations of the national
government that primarily caters to the retail market or the end-users. They are interest-bearing
bonds that carry a term of more than one (1) year. The bonds can be traded in the secondary
market before maturity. Also, RTBs offer attractive returns to investors because of their liquidity
and safety. Unlike regular Treasury bonds, the interest income per coupon of an RTB is paid to the
investor quarterly. The said income is subject to the 20% final withholding tax.
Moreover, RTBs serve as a critical part of the government’s program to make government
securities available to small investors. They are issued to mobilize savings and encourage retail
investors to purchase long-term papers with a maturity of 25 years. Also, the minimum placement
of RTBs in the primary market is P5,000 while P200,000 in the secondary market.
o Multi-Currency Retail Treasury Bonds (MTRBs) – They are issued to overseas Filipinos and their
qualified beneficiaries. MRTBs are issued within the Philippine jurisdiction. However, apart from
overseas Filipinos, Foreign Currency Deposit Units are allowed to invest in MRTBs under certain
preferential tax applications according to the 1997 Tax Code and the Bureau of Internal Revenue
(BIR). Interest income per coupon from MTRB is also subject to final withholding tax, currently at
20%. The issuer assumes the corresponding final withholding tax on interest income per coupon
for overseas Filipino holders or their qualified beneficiaries.
• Municipal Bonds. Like the national government, the local governments frequently spend more than the
revenues they receive. To finance the difference, they issue municipal bonds, most of which can be
classified as either general obligation bonds or revenue bonds. Payments on general obligation bonds
are supported by the municipal government’s ability to tax. In contrast, payments on revenue bonds
must be generated by revenues of the government’s projects such as tollway, toll bridge, state college
dormitory, for which the bonds were issued. Revenue bonds are more common than general obligation
bonds.
• Corporate Bonds. These are long-term debt securities issued by corporations that promise the owner
coupon payments or interest payments within one (1) to 30 years. They are medium to long-term
investments issued by SEC-Registered Philippine corporations.
o Secured Bonds – They are corporate bonds with collateral attached. Examples of secured bonds
are mortgage bonds and equipment trust certificates. Mortgage bonds are used to finance a specific
project. For example, a building may be the collateral for bonds issued for its construction. If the
firm fails to make payments as promised, mortgage bondholders have the right to liquidate the
property to be paid. Because these bonds have specific property pledged as collateral, they are
less risky than comparable unsecured bonds. As a result, they will have a lower interest rate.
On the other hand, equipment trust certificates are bonds secured by tangible non-real-estate
property, such as heavy equipment and airplanes. Typically, the collateral backing these bonds is
more easily marketed than the real property backing mortgage bonds. As with mortgage bonds,
collateral reduces the risk of the bonds and so lowers their interest rates.
o Unsecured Bond Debentures – Otherwise known as a debenture, unsecured bond debentures are
long-term unsecured corporate bonds backed only by the issuer's general creditworthiness. No
specific collateral is pledged to repay the debt. In the event of default, the bondholders must go to
court to seize assets. The collateral that has been pledged to other debtors is not available to the
holders of debentures. Debentures usually have an attached contract that spells out the terms of
the bond and the responsibilities of management. The contract attached to the debenture is called
an indenture. Debentures have lower priority than secured bonds if the firm defaults. As a result,
they will have a higher interest rate than otherwise comparable secured bonds.
o Junk Bonds – They are corporate bonds that are perceived to have a very high risk. The primary
investors in junk bonds are mutual funds, life insurance companies, and pension funds. Some bond
mutual funds invest only in bonds with high ratings, but more than a hundred high-yield mutual
funds commonly invest in junk bonds. High-yield mutual funds allow individual investors to invest
in a diversified portfolio of junk bonds with a small investment. Junk bonds offer high yields that
contain a risk premium (spread) to compensate investors for the high risk. Typically, the premium
is between three (3) and seven (7) percentage points above Treasury bonds with the same
maturity. Although investors always require a higher yield on junk bonds than on other bonds, they
also require a higher premium when the economy is weak because there is a greater likelihood that
the issuer will not generate sufficient cash to cover the debt payments.
Characteristics of Bonds
• Par Value/Face Value – Also known as the principal, the par value is the amount of money a holder will
get back once a bond matures. In finance and accounting, par value means the stated value or face
value of the instrument. From this comes the expressions at par (at the par value), over par (over par
value), and under par (under par value). When a bond trades at a price above the face value, it is said
to be selling at a premium. When a bond sells below face value, it is said to be selling at a discount.
• Coupon Interest Rate – The amount of interest that the bondholder will receive expressed as a
percentage of the par value. Usually, this rate is fixed throughout the life of the bond. It can also vary
with a money market index, such as London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR). The bond will also specify
when the interest is to be paid, whether monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually. The name
“coupon” is used because, in the past, paper bond certificates were issued that had coupons attached
to them, one for each interest payment. On the due dates, the bondholder would hand in the coupon to
a bank in exchange for the interest payment. Based on different coupon rates, bonds are classified into
many types, which include:
o Fixed-rate bonds –Bonds with a coupon that remains constant throughout the life of the bond.
o Stepped-coupon bonds – Variation of the fixed-rate bonds where their coupon increases during the
life of the bonds.
o Floating-rate notes (FRN) – Otherwise known as floaters, floating-rate notes have a variable
coupon that is linked to a reference rate of interest, such as the London Interbank Offered Rate
(LIBOR) or Euro Interbank Offered Rate (Euribor). For example, the coupon may be defined as
three (3) months LIBOR + 0.20%. The coupon rate is recalculated periodically, typically every one
(1) or three (3) months.
o Inflation-linked bonds – Otherwise known as linkers, inflation-linked bonds indexed the principal
amount and the interest payments to inflation. The interest rate is normally lower than for fixed-rate
bonds with a comparable maturity. However, as the principal amount grows, the payments increase
with inflation. The United Kingdom was the first sovereign issuer to issue inflation-linked Gilts in the
1980s. Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) and I-bonds are examples of inflation-linked
bonds issued by the U.S. government.
• Maturity Date – Otherwise known as redemption date, maturity date refers to the final payment date of
a loan or other financial instrument, at which point all remaining interest dues are to be paid. The issuer
has to repay the nominal amount on the maturity date. As long as all due payments have been made,
the issuer has no further obligations to the bondholders after the maturity date. The length of time until
the maturity date is referred to as the term or tenor or maturity of a bond. The maturity can be any
length of time, although debt securities with a term of less than one year are generally designated
money market instruments rather than bonds. Most bonds have a term of up to 30 years. Some bonds
have been issued with terms of 50 years or more, and, historically, there have been some issues with
no maturity date or irredeemable. Normally, the maturity of a bond is fixed. However, a bond may
contain an embedded option. It grants option-like features to the holder or the issuer to either call or
put the bond.
o Callable Bond – Also known as a redeemable bond, a callable bond allows the issuer of the bond
to retain the privilege of redeeming the bond at some point before the bond reaches its date of
maturity. In other words, on the call date, the issuer has the right, but not the obligation, to buy back
the bonds from the bondholders at a defined call price. The bonds are not bought and held by the
issuer. They are instead canceled immediately.
o Puttable Bond – Otherwise known as a retractable bond, a puttable bond gives the holder the right
to force the issuer to repay the bond before the maturity date on the put dates. This type of bond
protects investors: if interest rates rise after bond purchase, the future value of coupon payments
will become less valuable. Therefore, investors sell bonds back to the issuer and may lend
proceeds elsewhere at a higher rate. Bondholders are ready to pay for such protection by accepting
a lower yield relative to a straight bond. A death put is an optional redemption feature on a debt
instrument allowing the beneficiary of the estate of a deceased bondholder to put (sell) the bond
(back to the issuer) at face value in the event of the bondholder’s death or legal incapacitation.
• Sinking Fund – A method by which an organization sets aside money over time to retire its indebtedness
by repaying or purchasing outstanding loans and securities held against the entity. More specifically, it
is a fund into which money can be deposited so that over time preferred stock, debentures, or stocks
can be retired. Sinking funds can also be used to set aside money to replace capital equipment as it
becomes obsolete. Sinking fund provision of the corporate bond indenture requires a certain portion of
the issue to be retired periodically. The entire bond issue can be liquidated by the maturity date. Issuers
may either pay to trustees, which in turn call randomly selected bonds in the issue, or purchase bonds
in the open market, then return them to trustees.
Bond Valuation
• Bond valuation is a technique for determining the theoretical fair value or bond price of a particular
bond. It includes calculating the present value of the bond’s future interest payments, known as its cash
flows, and the bond’s value upon maturity, also known as its face or par value.
• To compute the present value of the coupon payments, you need to get the present value of the annuity
of coupon payments. An annuity is a series of payments made at fixed intervals of time. The present
value of an annuity is the value of a stream of payments, discounted by the interest rate to account for
the payments being made at various moments in the future. It can be solved using the following formula:
𝑛 1
𝑃𝑉𝐴 = 𝐼 × [∑ 𝑛]
𝑡=1 (1 + 𝑟𝑑 )
Where,
𝑃𝑉𝐴 is the present value of an annuity of coupon payments
𝐼 is the annual interest paid
𝑛 is the number of years to maturity
𝑟𝑑 is the required return in the market
On the other hand, to solve for the present value of the par value or face value, use the simple present
value formula:
1
𝑃𝑉 = 𝑀 × [ ]
(1 + 𝑟𝑑 )𝑛
Thus, to get the bond price, we need to add the above formulas:
𝑛 1 1
𝐵𝑜 = 𝐼 × [∑ 𝑛 ]+𝑀 × [ ]
𝑡=1 (1 + 𝑟𝑑 ) (1 + 𝑟𝑑 )𝑛
Illustrative Example:
Carl John Corporation issued a 10-year 10% corporate bond with a par-value of P1,000. A similar bond
is expecting an 8% return in the market. How much is the price of the bond?
Solution:
To get the value of the bond, determine first the annual interest that should be paid for the bond.
𝐼 = 𝑀 × 𝑁𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑒
𝐼 = P1,000 × 10%
𝐼 = P100
𝑛 1 1
𝐵𝑜 = 𝐼 × [∑ 𝑛
]+𝑉× [ ]
𝑡=1 (1 + 𝑟𝑑 ) (1 + 𝑟𝑑 )𝑛
Let,
𝐼 = P100
𝑛 = 10 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠
𝑉 = P1,000
𝑟𝑑 = 8%
𝑛 1 1
𝐵𝑜 = 𝐼 × [∑ 𝑛
]+𝑉 × [ ]
𝑡=1 (1 + 𝑟𝑑 ) (1 + 𝑟𝑑 )𝑛
10 1 1
𝐵𝑜 = 𝑃100 × [∑ 10
] + 𝑃1,000 × [ ]
𝑡=1 (1 + 8%) (1 + 8%)10
The price of the bond is higher than the par value; thus, it is issued at a premium. The market offers a
lower return of 8% compared with the guaranteed returns of 10%. The principle is that the bond can be
resold at P1,134.20 since this is what the market perceives as the best for everyone.
• Tax implications. In debt, interest paid by the issuer can be used as a tax-deductible expense of the
company. However, in equity investment, dividend payments to shareholders cannot be used as a tax-
deductible expense. Instead, they are treated as deductions in the retained earnings (RE) of the
company.
Types of Stocks
• Preference Shares. These shares give the holders distinct rights that enable them to be prioritized
over the holders of ordinary shares. It is since preference shares are treated as quasi-debt. The
required dividend to be paid on the holders is treated like interest on the debt, which should be settled
first before the claims of ordinary shares. In instances of liquidating the assets of the corporation, the
claims of preference shareholders are prioritized over common shareholders. However, it is only up to
the par value of the preference shares, and only when the liabilities to creditors are being paid. Thus,
the distribution of the proceeds from the liquidation shall be settled in the following order: debt,
preference shares, and common shares. Preference shares also have unique features. Some of them
are:
o Cumulative. All dividends in arrears (dividends that are not paid in previous periods), together with
the current dividend, should be paid before paying the shareholders' dividends. If preference shares
are non-cumulative, only the current dividend will be paid by the corporation.
o Callable. It allows the issuing corporation to retire or repurchase outstanding shares within a
predetermined period at a specified price. Usually, the call price is established higher than the
issuance price but may gradually decrease over time. This feature permits the corporation to end
the fixed-payment commitment associated with the preference shares if the market conditions
make it favorable.
o Convertible. It allows the shareholders to convert their shares into a stated number of ordinary
shares on a certain date. The number of ordinary shares that the preference shares can be
exchanged varies over time based on the predetermined formula.
• Ordinary Shares. These shares represent the true owners of the corporation. The owners are also
known as residual owners since they will only receive what will remain after all claims of the creditors
and preference shareholders are satisfied. However, the owners may reap the benefits if the business
goes well in the future. They also have the assurance that they will only lose up to the extent of the
investments they had in the company in case of bankruptcy. Dividends are not guaranteed for ordinary
shareholders, unlike the preferred shareholders. But because of that uncertainty, shareholders expect
to have higher returns. Ordinary shares can be classified according to ownership:
o Privately. Shares are owned by private investors, and thus, generally, shares are not publicly
traded. If publicly traded, the transactions are usually between private investors only, and an
organization's consent is needed.
o Closely. Shares owned by individual investors or a small group of private investors such as family.
o Publicly. Shares are actively traded in the stock market and are owned by a mix of public and
private investors.
o Widely. Shares owned by unrelated individuals or institutional parties.
In recent years, other types of ordinary shares were offered to shareholders to meet different objectives:
o Supervoting Shares. Shares that have multiple votes associated with one share. It allows
shareholders to maintain control against any group who may plan for a hostile takeover. Hostile
takeover happens when an outside group tries to gain controlling ownership of a company without
the support of the management.
o Nonvoting ordinary shares. Shares that have no voting rights but are offered by the companies that
want to raise capital but do not want to give up any voting control.
is the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System (NASDAQ). Dealers,
also known as market makers, in an OTC “make a market” by matching the buy and sell orders that
they receive from the investors. They are the ones responsible for setting the bid and ask prices. There
can be multiple market makers for a given stock, and each shall provide his/her bid and ask for
quotations in the system. Once this is done, the dealers must buy or sell a minimum of 1,000 securities
at the given price. Once the trade is executed, they can enter a new bid or quote in the system. Thus,
they can earn in two (2) means: through the spread between the bid price and ask price and through
trade commissions.
• An electronic communications network (EC) directly links major brokerage firms and traders and
removed the need for a middleman. Examples of ECNs are Instinet, SelectNet, and NYSE Arca. ECN
has been gaining ground lately for the following reasons:
o Transparency. Traders in the ECN can easily view if there are unfilled orders on time. This input
allows them to understand supply and demand for the shares and modify their strategy accordingly.
Some exchanges also provide this information but not as timely and complete as ECN can provide.
o Cost reduction. The removal of middleman and commission reduces the transaction costs
associated with the trade. Spread is also reduced and sometimes removed.
o Faster execution. Trades are matched faster and confirmed quicker since the ECN is fully
automated. Individual trades are done with minimal human intervention.
o After-hours trading. Trading can continue at any time of the day because of the availability of ECN.
Traders can react accordingly based on news reports and information that come out after trading
hours.
• Exchange-traded funds (ETF) happen when a portfolio containing various securities is purchased,
and a share is created based on this specific portfolio that can be traded in the exchange. ETFs are
listed and can be traded as individual shares in the exchange. They are often indexed instead of being
actively managed. It means that there is no active management since the fund manager simply follows
the index's composition. Moreover, the ETFs are valued based on the underlying net asset value of the
shares inside the index portfolio. Information about the shares inside the ETF is publicly available so
that intraday arbitrage can help keep ETF price close to the implied value.
Market Capitalization
• Mega-cap. This category includes companies that have a market cap of $200 billion or higher. They
are the largest publicly traded companies by market value and typically represent a particular industry
sector or market leaders. A limited number of companies qualify for this category. For example, as of
Sept. 28, 2020, technology leader Apple Inc. (AAPL) has a market cap of $1.966 trillion, while the online
retail giant Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) stood next with $1.59 trillion.
• Large-cap. Companies in this category have a market cap between $10 billion to $200 billion.
International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) has a market cap of $108.41 billion, and General Electric
Co. (GE) has a figure of $54.27 billion.
• Mid-cap. Ranging from $2 billion to $10 billion worth of market cap, this group of companies is
considered more volatile than the large-cap and mega-cap companies. Growth stocks represent a
significant portion of the mid-caps. Some companies might not be industry leaders, but they may be on
their way to becoming one. Juniper Networks Inc. (JNPR), with a market cap of $7.29 billion, is one.
• Small-cap. These are companies that have a market cap between $300 million to $2 billion. While the
bulk of this category comprises relatively young companies that may have promising growth potential,
a few established old businesses that may have lost value in recent times for a variety of reasons are
included in the list. One example is Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (BBBY), which has a market cap of 1.87
billion.
• Micro-cap. This category mainly consists of penny stocks, denoting companies with market
capitalizations between $50 million to $300 million. For instance, a lesser-known pharmaceutical
company with no marketable product and working on developing a drug for an incurable disease, or a
5-people small company working on artificial intelligence (AI)-powered robotics technology, may be
listed with small valuation and limited trading activity. While the upward potential of such companies is
high if they succeed in hitting the bull’s eye, the downside potential is equally worse if they completely
fail. Investments in such companies may not be for the faint-hearted as they do not offer the safest
investment, and a great deal of research should be done before entering such a position.
• Nano-cap. These are companies having market caps below $50 million. They are considered to be the
riskiest lot, and the potential for gain varies widely.
Stock Valuation
• One-Period Valuation Model. This model generally assumes that an investor is prepared to hold the
stock for only one (1) year. Because of the short holding period, the cash flows expected to be
generated by the stock are the single dividend payment and the selling price of the respective stock.
Hence, to determine the stock's fair price, the sum of the future dividend payment and that of the
estimated selling price must be computed and discounted back to their present values.
• Multiple-Period Valuation Model. This model is an extension of the one-period dividend discount
model wherein an investor expects to hold a stock for multiple periods. The main challenge of this
model is that forecasting dividend payments for different periods are required.
• Zero-growth Model. This model assumes that dividends will be fixed and will not change anymore in
the future. It is the simplest approach to share valuation. It is very useful in valuing preferred shares
since the dividend is fixed upon issuance. Dividends of preference shares are expected to be received
if the shareholders hold the stock.
• Constant Growth Model. This model is also known as the Gordon Growth Model, named after Myron
Gordon, a famous American economist.
• Variable Growth Model. An inherent limitation associated with zero-growth and constant growth
models is that they do not allow flexibility in growth rate expectations. Since future growth rates may go
up or down due to changes in economic conditions, the variable growth model was developed.
• Free Cash Flows (FCF). These refer to the cash flows available for debt creditors and shareholders
after satisfying all other operating obligations. This method is an alternative to the dividend-based
share valuation.
• Book Value (BV) per Share. It refers to the amount per share that will be received if all the company’s
assets are sold based on its exact book or accounting values. The proceeds will go to ordinary
shareholders after satisfying all the claims from creditors and preference shareholders. Book value per
share is easy to compute since the book value can be easily derived from accounting records. However,
the drawback of this method is its reliance on historical balance sheet data. It does not consider the
earning potential of the firm. Moreover, it does not have a link or relationship to the firm's true value in
the market.
• Liquidation Value (LV) per Share. It pertains to the actual amount per share that will be received if:
o All assets are sold based on their current market value;
o All liabilities, including preference shares, are fully paid; and
o The remaining proceeds are divided between the shareholders.
• Price-Earnings (P/E) Multiples. This method uses the price-earnings ratio to compute the price. The
price-earnings ratio shows the amount that investors are willing to pay for each peso earnings.
Direct Investments
• When individuals and institutions directly own a particular financial asset or buy it from the market, they
make direct investments.
• Direct investment can be applied in a single asset or a portfolio of assets. A property portfolio is a group
of property investments owned by an individual or company that shares the same financial goals. One
of the benefits of having a property portfolio over a single asset is that return expectations can be
diversified; if one asset doesn’t hit its target, other investments might compensate. The overall expected
returns of a portfolio aim for a balanced return from different properties over time.
• Closed-end. These are any investment schemes other than open-end. This type of CIS is where a
fixed number of shares are offered in an initial public offering (IPO). Although the investor cannot sell
the shares back to the pooled fund, closed-end funds can be traded in an organized market. Thus, if
he invested in a closed-end fund in the case of Emmanuel, he is not allowed to sell his shares back to
the pooled fund but may sell it in an organized market.
Classifications of CIS
• Corporate structure. This type of collective investment scheme is in the form of an entity, such as an
investment company. An investment company is a stock corporation organized as a corporate CIS
engaged in investing, reinvesting, and/or trading securities. Examples of investment companies are
mutual funds (MFs). MFs pool funds from the public and fund managers will now manage these funds.
On behalf of the investors, the fund managers will invest the fund in a diversified portfolio of stocks,
bonds, money market instruments, or even other mutual funds. However, fund managers cannot just
trade the funds in any way they like. They need to follow the investment objective found in the
prospectus – a document that shares information about the investment objective, risks, costs, and other
policies. Thus, a bond fund can only purchase bonds, while a stock fund can only buy stocks traded in
the Philippines Stock Exchange (PSE).
• Contractual structure. It is a CIS that is:
o Organized under a contract such as a trust indenture or as an investment component of an
insurance contract;
o Engaged, or holds itself out as being engaged, or proposes to engage, in the business of investing,
reinvesting, and/or trading in securities or other investment assets allowed by the regulation; and
o That issues unit of participation, each representing an undivided interest in a pool of investment
assets.
when the policyholder dies. At the same time, a part of the premium goes to some sort of income-
earning financial instrument. Premium is the amount paid by the policyholder.
relationship is not precise because other factors also affect the movement of the currency. Thus, some
borrowers still choose to borrow from markets with low interest rates.
• Exchange rate expectations. When a foreign subsidiary of an MNC remits funds to its parent, the funds
must be converted to the parent's currency and, thus, will be subject to exchange rate risk. The MNC
will be adversely affected if the foreign currency depreciates at that time. To prevent such, the MNC
may speculate. If it expects that the foreign currency may depreciate against the dollar, it can reduce
the exchange rate risk by letting its subsidiary borrow funds locally to support its business. This will
result in less remittance of funds to the parent because the subsidiary must pay interest on local debt.
Thus, the amount of funds converted to the currency of its parent will be smaller, resulting in less
exposure to exchange rate risk.
P57,300 (1,000 euros × P57.30/euro). Now suppose that Rody delays his purchase by two (2) months,
at which time the euro has appreciated to P58.10 per euro. If the domestic price of the bottle of Lafite
Rothschild remains 1,000 euros, its peso cost will have risen from P57,300 to P58,100.
• As stated above, the trading of foreign currency takes place in the foreign exchange market. It is
organized as an over-the-counter (OTC) market in which several hundred dealers, mostly banks, stand
ready to buy and sell deposits denominated in foreign currencies. The market is very competitive
because the dealers are in constant telephone and computer contact. In effect, it functions similarly to
a centralized market. When individuals and institutions talk about buying and selling currencies in
foreign exchange markets, it does not mean that they take a handful of peso bills and sell them for
American dollar bills. Instead, most trades involve the buying and selling of bank deposits denominated
in different currencies. Thus, when a Filipino bank is buying a dollar in the foreign exchange market, it
means buying deposits denominated in the dollar.
and advice to middle-income and credit-worthy poor countries. IBRD and IDA share the same staff and
headquarters and evaluate projects with the same rigorous standards.
• International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). An institution that settles
international investment disputes. It provides settlement of disputes by conciliation, arbitration, or fact-
finding. It also promotes greater awareness of international law on foreign investment and the ICSID
process. It has an extensive program of publications, including the leading ICSID Review-Foreign
Investment Law Journal, and it regularly publishes information about its activities and cases. ICSID
staff organize events, give numerous presentations, and participate in international investment dispute
settlement conferences worldwide.
• Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA). It promotes cross-border investment in developing
countries by providing guarantees, such as political risk insurance (PRI) and credit enhancement, to
investors and lenders. PRI is a tool for businesses to mitigate and manage risks arising from
governments' adverse actions or inactions. As a risk-mitigation tool, it provides a more stable
environment for investments into developing countries and unlocks better access to finance.
• International Finance Corporation (IFC). It provides financing of private-enterprise investment in
developing countries worldwide through both loans and direct investments. It also provides advisory
services to encourage the development of private enterprises in nations that might be lacking the
necessary infrastructure or liquidity for businesses to secure financing. Its most recent stated goals
include the development of sustainable agriculture, expanding small businesses' access to
microfinance, supporting infrastructure improvements, and promoting climate, health, and education
policies. The IFC is governed by its 184-member countries and is headquartered in Washington, D.C.