Financial Instruments: Lesson 1.4
Financial Instruments: Lesson 1.4
Financial Instruments: Lesson 1.4
Lesson 1.4
Financial Instruments
Contents
Introduction 1
Learning Objectives 2
Quick Look 3
Case Study 18
Keep in Mind 19
Try This 20
Challenge Yourself 22
Bibliography 23
Unit 1: Introduction to Financial Management
Lesson 1.4
Financial Instruments
Introduction
Suppose you are lending a significant amount of money to someone, and you agreed that
the person would pay monthly until the principal amount is settled. Would you need proof
that this person owes you money and that you have agreed on a payment plan?
Most people who find themselves in a similar situation would want to have a written
agreement. When businesses borrow money from an individual or an institution, a real or
virtual document serves as proof of their transaction. Such a document represents the legal
agreement between parties concerning assets of value. This document is called a financial
instrument.
In the world of business, the value of assets continuously changes. The image shown is a
stock chart that shows the fluctuations in a financial asset’s value. To protect the entities
engaged in the trade of assets, different financial instruments were created. In this lesson,
you will learn about these instruments and their uses.
Quick Look
Company A, the debtor with Address 1, made a business loan letter request to
Company B. Company A attached the documents that show their credibility as a
debtor.
Company B, the creditor with Address 2, after examining the documents and
conducting financial investigation about company A, approved the loan request.
Today both parties executed a Finance Agreement. The first payment shall begin 60
days after the execution of the agreement. Bank deposits shall be the method of
payments through Bank Account No.: 0123-456-789.
3. Prepare a Finance Agreement for two parties. You may refer to the sample form
provided. You may also refer to the computation of finance charges, interest, and
total payments, and monthly payments.
Solution:
Given: Amount of loan is ₱ 600,000
Interest rate: 12%
Computation:
𝐹𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑠 = ₱600, 000(0. 01) = ₱6, 000
𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡 = ₱600, 000(0. 12) = ₱72, 000
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑃𝑎𝑦𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 = ₱600, 000 + ₱6, 000 + ₱72, 000 = ₱678, 000
₱678,000
𝑀𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑙𝑦 𝑃𝑎𝑦𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 = 12
= ₱56, 500
Questions to Ponder
1. How do creditors and debtors differ?
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2. What are your important realizations and insights from the activity?
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3. Looking at yourself, four or five years from now, in a corporate world, who do you
want to be, the creditor or the debtor? Why?
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In the previous lessons, you have learned that the financial system facilitates the flow of
funds and capital between debtors and creditors. They can do this by transacting directly or
through financial institutions. The figure shown below shows the flow of funds between
them:
Figure 1. The financial system facilitates the flow of funds and capital.
In the diagram, you can see the movement of funds within the system. These funds and
capital are exchanged using financial instruments.
The form you have just accomplished in the activity is a kind of financial instrument. There
are several types of financial instruments that will satisfy the needs of the investors,
creditors, and debtors or borrowers. Do you now have the idea of what the other financial
instruments could be?
Essential Questions
Cash Instruments
Cash Instruments are instruments, whose value is directly established and perceived by
the market1. Cash instruments can be securities, deposits and loans.
Securities
Securities are cash instruments that are fungible or interchangeable with other assets of
similar value. The most common securities are stocks and bonds.
Stocks are also referred to as equity securities. It entitles the holder to have a part
ownership of a publicly listed company. Equity securities are offered when a company
declares an Initial Public Offering (IPO), which means that the company will start selling
stocks on the financial market.
1
Market- (noun) system or institution that facilitates trade and enables the distribution and allocation of resources
What are some companies or groups in the Philippines that offer stocks today?
After the IPO and once the company’s stocks are in the market, investors can now buy or
sell the stocks to other investors. In buying and selling stocks, stockbrokers handle the stock
trading. By selling the stocks, the company can expand and increase its capital and repay its
liabilities. Investors, on the other hand, earn money from the profits of the company
through dividends.
Bonds, also known as debt securities, are cash instruments offered to investors by the
company or the government to fund the company’s project or activity. When investors buy
bonds, they are financing the company to implement its project and pay off their liabilities.
The investors are then entitled to get their money back with interest at the bond’s maturity
date.
Bonds are classified into four and these are municipal bonds, agency bonds, corporate
bonds, and government bonds.
a. Municipal bonds are issued by the national or local government units, and other
government institutions to finance local infrastructures such as building schools,
hospitals, city libraries, highways and railroads, and sewerage systems. Some
municipal bonds render tax-free coupons (annual interest payments) for investors.
b. Agency bonds are bonds that are issued by various government agencies like
Mutual Funds and Unit Investment Trust Funds (UITF). UITFs are agency bonds
regulated by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) but are offered and managed by
banks.
d. Government bonds are bonds issued by the country’s treasury. In the Philippines,
the Bureau of Treasury (BTr) issues two government securities: the Peso and US
Dollar denominated securities.
The money invested in government bonds are commonly used in infrastructures and
military projects. Infrastractures include telecommunication systems, transportation
systems, sewage systems, and housing.
2
IOU - (abbreviation) phonetic acronym of the words “I owe you”
Closer Look
The investors who visit the BTr websites can then accomplish the BTr’s
requirement to be included in the bond offerings and to finalize the bond
contract.
Cash deposit is the money that people put into their bank account, savings, current or
checking account, usually for security. The money deposited becomes the asset of the bank,
although the bank is liable for returning the money back based on the agreed terms and
conditions. Cash deposits can be done in person at the bank, by the automated teller
machine (ATM), or via online banking.
Derivative Instruments
Derivative instruments are financial instruments whose monetary value is derived or
determined from another financial asset, called the underlying assets. Examples of
underlying assets are bonds, stocks, and currency.
The price of stocks and other basic goods fluctuate and are affected by different factors.
These factors are sometimes caused by natural disasters which could not be controlled.
Bonds and currencies are also prone to interest rate risk and political risk. Such situations
affect the prices of these underlying assets, and in turn affects the derivative market.
There are four common derivatives namely forwards, futures, options, and swaps.
Forward Contracts
A forward contract is an agreement between two parties involving custom-made derivatives
that take place at the end of the contract at a specified price. It is done over-the-counter
(OTC), a decentralized market in which trading is done directly between the two parties
without a broker or central exchange.
Closer Look
Futures Contracts
Futures contracts or simply futures are financial derivatives that compel the seller to sell
and the buyer to buy an asset at a predefined future date and price. Futures are
standardized for quality and quantity to facilitate trading exchange, unlike the forward
contracts. The forward and future contracts are similar when it comes to lock-in price. The
forwards are transacted OTC and the prices are custom-made, on the other hand the futures
are facilitated under a central exchange market or broker and the prices are regulated by a
trading commission.
Closer Look
Options
Options are derivative financial instruments where the parties make an agreement to
negotiate an asset at a specified price within the given time interval or before the future
date. Option owners are given the right either to buy or sell, but not an obligation, the asset
at the exercise price3 within the timeframe. When the option holder buys the asset, then the
option is said to be a call option and when the holder sells the asset it is called the put
option.
An option will have no value and is ineffective if it reaches the expiry date without exercising
the option. Options can be OTC or an exchange-traded, not going through a broker,
derivative applied to provide the investors with the way to venture into the up and down
movements of the market and help them manage the possibility of unfavorable market
conditions and eventually make profits.
3
Exercise price - (noun) also known as the strike price of the underlying security that can be either purchased or
sold.
Closer Look
An Option to Buy
An option holder presumes that the asset will be higher than the exercise
price or the strike price before the expiry date of the contract. On Date 1
the option holder bought the option contract of 100 shares at ₱500/share
with a strike price of ₱700. He then pays
500 × 100 = 50, 000Pesos
The option holder can sell the option since the price is ₱1500/share. He
then gets:
1500shares× ₱100 =₱ 150, 000
Subtract the amount at strike price, ₱70,000 and the original amount,
₱50,000:
₱150, 000 − 70, 000 − 50, 000 = 30, 000
He then gets a profit of ₱30,000.
If he executes a put option and sells the 100 shares at the strike price of
₱700/share. He then gets only ₱20,000:
70, 000 − 50, 000 = 20, 000
Swap
Swap is a derivative financial instrument in which the two parties agree to exchange or swap
financial instruments such as cash flows, interest rate, derivatives or securities. Swaps are
OTC contracts between two parties or financial institutions that are custom-made to suit the
needs of both parties.
Closer Look
Date of On the date On the date agreed Can execute On the date of
Execution agreed upon by upon by the the contract the swap.
the parties. parties. anytime
before the
expiry date.
Market OTC and the Central- exchange Some are OTC and the
Regulations price is traded and the OTC and price is
custom-made. price is regulated some are custom-made.
by the trading exchange
commission. -traded.
Spot Currency
The spot currency agreement or transaction refers to the retail or sale of the foreign
currency on “the same day” delivery or the day after the specified spot date or for some 1 to
2 business days. The exchange rate of the currency is based on the current exchange rate
and is done on the OTC. Spot trading is not only done in currency but also in other financial
instruments.
Closer Look
Outright Forward
The outright forward agreement, sometimes called currency forward, is a contract
between two parties that defines and locks in the currency rate and delivery date far off the
spot date. Such an instrument is a way to protect the investors and the traders in fluctuating
exchange currency rates.
Closer Look
Currency Swap
Currency swap also known as FX or FOREX swap is an agreement in which the two foreign
parties exchange currency including the amount of equal value and currency rate.
Closer Look
Swapping Currencies
A Canadian Company X needs 10,000,000 CHF (Swiss franc) to buy goods
from Switzerland for their garment factory. A Swiss Company Y needs
11,000,000 CAD (Canadian dollars) to fund their project in Canada. Since
Company X can produce 11,000,000 CAD, and they need 10,000.000 CHF
and the currency rate is 1 CHF = 1.1 CAD, the two companies can enter
into a foreign currency swap contract through an OTC market.
In a year at the end of the contract, since both agreed that the rate will be
1 CHF = 1.11 CAD, as stated in their contract, Company X will return the
10,000,000 CHF to Company Y which will return 1.11 x 10,000,000=
Rather than making loans through the banks which require several fees,
in this instrument the two companies can save several amounts of
money. The currency rates may be higher or lower, but the companies
are not much affected by the change since they already used the money
and may have incurred profits before the end of the contract.
What are the four derivatives? Why are they called derivatives?
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Case Study
In summary, this study tackles on how the simple household individual can
benefit from the private and government institutions by applying the
financial instruments available in the Philippines.
Keep in Mind
Try This
Fill in the Blanks. Fill in the missing words to make the statement correct.
3. Jen uses her credit card in almost all purchases she makes; she finds this more
convenient than withdrawing money and paying in cash. She also uses her monthly
credit card bill to track her expenses. What financial instrument is Jen using?
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4. Raven is a student who is also a very talented graphic artist. His work gained popularity
in various online platforms, gaining him requests for commissioned artworks from
clients worldwide. He registered in an online payment system where his clients'
payments are routed and transferred to his local bank account. What financial
instrument is involved that allows Raven to accept payments from other countries?
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Challenge Yourself
Answer the following questions. Make sure to support your answers using the concepts
learned in this lesson.
1. How will you differentiate financial instruments from financial markets and financial
intermediaries?
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3. What are swap derivatives? What problems could arise from these instruments?
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Bibliography
Dungo, Fehl. “Best Stock Brokers in the Philippines.” Accessed October 27, 2021.
https://philpad.com/best-stock-brokers-in-the-philippines/.
O’shea, Arielle. “What are Stocks and How Do They Work?." NerdWallet. Accessed
October 29, 2021.
https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/investing/what-are-stocks-how-they-work.
Parameswaran, Sunil. Fundamentals of Financial Instruments (1st ed.) New York: Wiley, 2011.