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CFA Level III Chartered Financial Analyst Questions 71–75 (page: 16)

Harold Chang, CFA, has been the lead portfolio manager for the Woodlock Management Group (WMG) for the last five years. WMG runs several equity and fixed income portfolios, all of which are authorized to use derivatives as long as such positions are consistent with the portfolio's strategy. The WMG Equity Opportunities Fund takes advantage of long and short profit opportunities in equity securities. The fund's positions are often a relatively large percentage of the issuer's outstanding shares and fund trades frequently move securities prices. Chang runs the Equity Opportunities Fund and is concerned that his performance for the last three quarters has put his position as lead manager in jeopardy. Over the last three quarters, Chang has been underperforming his benchmark by an increasing margin and is determined to reduce the degree of underperformance before the end of the next quarter. Accordingly, Chang makes the following transactions for the fund:
Transaction 1: Chang discovers that the implied volatility of call options on GreenCo is too high. As a result, Chang shorts a large position in the stock options while simultaneously taking a long position in GreenCo stock, using the funds from the short position to partially pay for the long stock. The GreenCo purchase caused the share price to move up slightly. After several months, the GreenCo stock position has accumulated a large unrealized gain. Chang sells a portion of the GreenCo position to rebalance the portfolio.
Richard Stirr, CFA, who is also a portfolio manager for WMG, runs the firm's Fixed Income Fund. Stirr is known for his ability to generate excess returns above his benchmark, even in declining markets. Stirr is convinced that even though he has only been with WMG for two and a half years, he will be named lead portfolio manager if he can keep his performance figures strong through the next quarter. To achieve this positive performance, Stirr enters into the following transactions for the fund:
Transaction 2: Stirr decides to take a short forward position on the senior bonds of ONB Corporation, which Stirr currently owns in his Fixed Income Fund. Stirr made his decision after overhearing two of his firm's investment bankers discussing an unannounced bond offering for ONB that will subordinate all of its outstanding debt. As expected, the price of the ONB bonds falls when the upcoming offering is announced. Stirr delivers the bonds to settle the forward contract, preventing large losses for his investors.
Transaction 3: Sitrr has noticed that in a foreign bond market, participants are slow to react to new information relevant to the value of their country's sovereign debt securities. Stirr, along with other investors, knows that an announcement from his firm regarding the sovereign bonds will be made the following day. Stirr doesn't know for sure, but expects the news to be positive, and prepares to enter a purchase order. When the positive news is released, Stirr is the first to act, making a large purchase before other investors and selling the position after other market participants react and move the sovereign bond price higher.
Because of their experience with derivatives instruments, Chang and Stirr are asked to provide investment advice for Cherry Creek, LLC, a commodities trading advisor. Cherry Creek uses managed futures strategies that incorporate long and short positions in commodity futures to generate returns uncorrelated with securities markets. The firm has asked Chang and Stirr to help extend their reach to include equity and fixed income derivatives strategies. Chang has been investing with Cherry Creek since its inception and has accepted increased shares in his Cherry Creek account as compensation for his advice. Chang has not disclosed his arrangement with Cherry Creek since he meets with the firm only during his personal time. Stirr declines any formal compensation but instead requests that Cherry Creek refer their clients requesting traditional investment services to WMG. Cherry Creek agrees to the arrangement.
Three months have passed since the transactions made by Chang and Stirr occurred. Both managers met their performance goals and are preparing to present their results to clients via an electronic newsletter published every quarter. The managers want to ensure their newsletters are in compliance with CFA Institute Standards of Professional Conduct. Chang states, "in order to comply with the Standards, we are required to disclose the process used to analyze and select portfolio holdings, the method used to construct our portfolios, and any changes that have been made to the overall investment process. In addition, we must include in the newsletter all factors used to make each portfolio decision over the last quarter and an assessment of the portfolio's risks." Stirr responds by claiming, "we must also clearly indicate that projections included in our report are not factual evidence but rather conjecture based on our own statistical analysis. However, I believe we can reduce the amount of information included in the report from what you have suggested and instead issue more of a summary report as long as we maintain a full report in our internal records."
Determine whether Stirr's comments regarding the use of projections in the report and the length of the report are correct.

SIMULATION
In 1955, David Peebles, founder of the successful California-based Peebles Winery, set up the Tokay Endowment. The Tokay Endowment was established to attract talented individuals to the wine industry and to encourage research designed to produce California grapes that would be competitive with those produced in France. The initial $1 million contribution has grown to S75 million. Peebles* grandson was recently given responsibility for management of the endowment. He believes the endowment's asset mix needs to be updated to reflect the alternative investments of hedge funds, managed futures, and private equity. The private equity investment will be an indirect investment using middle-market buyout funds (labeled "buyout funds" in the exhibits below). The endowment currently has 60% invested in equities and 40% in bonds. The endowment must maintain a 50% equity weighting and the grandson wants to invest 20% of total assets in the alternative investment category.
Exhibit 1: Returns and Standard Deviation for the Most Recent 10-year Period

Exhibit 2: Correlations for the Most Recent 10-year Period


A trusted financial advisor recommended investing in hedge funds rather than managed futures because hedge funds offer a better risk/return profile.
Discuss two reasons managed futures should be added to Tokay's Endowment portfolio.

Jack Rose and Ryan Boatman are analysts with Quincy Consultants. Quincy provides advice on risk management and performance presentation to pension plans, insurance firms, and other institutional portfolio managers throughout the United States and Canada.
Rose and Boatman are preparing an analysis of the defined benefit pension plans for four mature corporations in the United States. In an effort to ascertain the risk to the firm's shareholders from the plans. Rose and Boatman gather the information in Figure 1:
Figure 1: Pension Plan Data


While discussing how the weighted average cost of capital (WACC) for a corporation can be adjusted to incorporate pension asset risk. Rose and Boatman make the following comments:
• Rose: "From what I understand, in order to calculate a true weighted average cost of capital, management should consider the assets held in their pension plan. Because pension plans hold equity securities as assets, the plan assets usually have a higher weighted average beta than the sponsoring firm's operating assets. This means the typical firm's weighted average asset beta and cost of capital are higher than when calculated using only the operating assets. If management bases their accept/reject decisions on a weighted average cost of capital that considers only operating assets, they might accept projects that really should have been rejected."
• Boatman: "I'm not sure I agree with you. To match the maturity of their liabilities, pension plans like to hold at least half their assets in long maturity bonds. Then, since the bonds have a long weighted average duration, they have considerable interest rate sensitivity. This is really what makes the pension assets riskier than the firm's operating assets. However, since debt securities have zero betas, they have a low weighted average asset beta and the firm has a lower weighted average cost of capital when pension assets are considered than when they are not considered. The result of considering only the operating assets is that the weighted average cost of capital is inflated and management tends to incorrectly reject projects that could have been accepted." In a visit to the headquarters of Beeman Enterprises, Rose and Boatman explain how in an expanded balance sheet format, a change in a pension plan's asset allocation can result in a change in the firm's financial ratios. To illustrate the concept to the firm's chief financial officer, they provide three different scenarios (shown in Figure 2) indicating necessary changes in the firm's capital structure under the assumption that the firm's pension plan increases its allocation to equity and management wants to keep the sponsoring firm's cost of equity capital constant (i.e., constant equity beta).
Figure 2: Cost of Capital Scenarios

Quincy Consultants has also provided advice to Monroe Portfolio Managers. Among its investments, Monroe has a real estate portfolio that invests in shopping centers and office buildings throughout the southern United States. The firm has provided the following data to calculate and report quarterly returns to current and prospective investors. Additionally, the capital contribution came on day 47 (0.52 into the quarter) and the capital disbursement came on day 67 (0.74 into the quarter).

After calculating the capital return and income return for the portfolio, Rose and Boatman discuss the performance presentation standards for real estate and private equity portfolios. Discussing the differences between the general provisions of the GIPS standards and those for real estate and private equity portfolios, Rose states the following:
1. "The general provisions require that valuations take place monthly until 2010. For real estate, valuations could be done annually until 2008, but starting in 2008 quarterly valuations are required. For private equity, valuations should be performed annually."
2. "The performance standards in the general provisions for real estate and for private equity require that both gross-of-fees and net-of-fees returns are presented."
Also commenting on the differences between the various GIPS requirements, Boatman states the following:
1. "Although the general provisions for GIPS make the verification of GIPS compliance by an outside third party voluntary, the valuation of real estate and private equity by an outside third party is required by GIPS."
2. "The GIPS general provisions for real estate and for private equity require that both income and capital gains are included in the calculation and presentation of returns."

From the data provided in Figure 1, determine the firm or firms that probably have the greatest risk arising from pension plan assets.

Jack Rose and Ryan Boatman are analysts with Quincy Consultants. Quincy provides advice on risk management and performance presentation to pension plans, insurance firms, and other institutional portfolio managers throughout the United States and Canada.
Rose and Boatman are preparing an analysis of the defined benefit pension plans for four mature corporations in the United States. In an effort to ascertain the risk to the firm's shareholders from the plans. Rose and Boatman gather the information in Figure 1:
Figure 1: Pension Plan Data


While discussing how the weighted average cost of capital (WACC) for a corporation can be adjusted to incorporate pension asset risk. Rose and Boatman make the following comments:
• Rose: "From what I understand, in order to calculate a true weighted average cost of capital, management should consider the assets held in their pension plan. Because pension plans hold equity securities as assets, the plan assets usually have a higher weighted average beta than the sponsoring firm's operating assets. This means the typical firm's weighted average asset beta and cost of capital are higher than when calculated using only the operating assets. If management bases their accept/reject decisions on a weighted average cost of capital that considers only operating assets, they might accept projects that really should have been rejected."
• Boatman: "I'm not sure I agree with you. To match the maturity of their liabilities, pension plans like to hold at least half their assets in long maturity bonds. Then, since the bonds have a long weighted average duration, they have considerable interest rate sensitivity. This is really what makes the pension assets riskier than the firm's operating assets. However, since debt securities have zero betas, they have a low weighted average asset beta and the firm has a lower weighted average cost of capital when pension assets are considered than when they are not considered. The result of considering only the operating assets is that the weighted average cost of capital is inflated and management tends to incorrectly reject projects that could have been accepted." In a visit to the headquarters of Beeman Enterprises, Rose and Boatman explain how in an expanded balance sheet format, a change in a pension plan's asset allocation can result in a change in the firm's financial ratios. To illustrate the concept to the firm's chief financial officer, they provide three different scenarios (shown in Figure 2) indicating necessary changes in the firm's capital structure under the assumption that the firm's pension plan increases its allocation to equity and management wants to keep the sponsoring firm's cost of equity capital constant (i.e., constant equity beta).
Figure 2: Cost of Capital Scenarios

Quincy Consultants has also provided advice to Monroe Portfolio Managers. Among its investments, Monroe has a real estate portfolio that invests in shopping centers and office buildings throughout the southern United States. The firm has provided the following data to calculate and report quarterly returns to current and prospective investors. Additionally, the capital contribution came on day 47 (0.52 into the quarter) and the capital disbursement came on day 67 (0.74 into the quarter).

After calculating the capital return and income return for the portfolio, Rose and Boatman discuss the performance presentation standards for real estate and private equity portfolios. Discussing the differences between the general provisions of the GIPS standards and those for real estate and private equity portfolios, Rose states the following:
1. "The general provisions require that valuations take place monthly until 2010. For real estate, valuations could be done annually until 2008, but starting in 2008 quarterly valuations are required. For private equity, valuations should be performed annually."
2. "The performance standards in the general provisions for real estate and for private equity require that both gross-of-fees and net-of-fees returns are presented."
Also commenting on the differences between the various GIPS requirements, Boatman states the following:
1. "Although the general provisions for GIPS make the verification of GIPS compliance by an outside third party voluntary, the valuation of real estate and private equity by an outside third party is required by GIPS."

2. "The GIPS general provisions for real estate and for private equity require that both income and capital gains are included in the calculation and presentation of returns."

Regarding the comments by Rose and Boatman on the incorporation of pension plan risk into the weighted average cost of capital, determine whether they are correct or incorrect.

Jack Rose and Ryan Boatman are analysts with Quincy Consultants. Quincy provides advice on risk management and performance presentation to pension plans, insurance firms, and other institutional portfolio managers throughout the United States and Canada.
Rose and Boatman are preparing an analysis of the defined benefit pension plans for four mature corporations in the United States. In an effort to ascertain the risk to the firm's shareholders from the plans. Rose and Boatman gather the information in Figure 1:

Figure 1: Pension Plan Data


While discussing how the weighted average cost of capital (WACC) for a corporation can be adjusted to incorporate pension asset risk. Rose and Boatman make the following comments:
• Rose: "From what I understand, in order to calculate a true weighted average cost of capital, management should consider the assets held in their pension plan. Because pension plans hold equity securities as assets, the plan assets usually have a higher weighted average beta than the sponsoring firm's operating assets. This means the typical firm's weighted average asset beta and cost of capital are higher than when calculated using only the operating assets. If management bases their accept/reject decisions on a weighted average cost of capital that considers only operating assets, they might accept projects that really should have been rejected."
• Boatman: "I'm not sure I agree with you. To match the maturity of their liabilities, pension plans like to hold at least half their assets in long maturity bonds. Then, since the bonds have a long weighted average duration, they have considerable interest rate sensitivity. This is really what makes the pension assets riskier than the firm's operating assets. However, since debt securities have zero betas, they have a low weighted average asset beta and the firm has a lower weighted average cost of capital when pension assets are considered than when they are not considered. The result of considering only the operating assets is that the weighted average cost of capital is inflated and management tends to incorrectly reject projects that could have been accepted." In a visit to the headquarters of Beeman Enterprises, Rose and Boatman explain how in an expanded balance sheet format, a change in a pension plan's asset allocation can result in a change in the firm's financial ratios. To illustrate the concept to the firm's chief financial officer, they provide three different scenarios (shown in Figure 2) indicating necessary changes in the firm's capital structure under the assumption that the firm's pension plan increases its allocation to equity and management wants to keep the sponsoring firm's cost of equity capital constant (i.e., constant equity beta).

Figure 2: Cost of Capital Scenarios

Quincy Consultants has also provided advice to Monroe Portfolio Managers. Among its investments, Monroe has a real estate portfolio that invests in shopping centers and office buildings throughout the southern United States. The firm has provided the following data to calculate and report quarterly returns to current and prospective investors. Additionally, the capital contribution came on day 47 (0.52 into the quarter) and the capital disbursement came on day 67 (0.74 into the quarter).

After calculating the capital return and income return for the portfolio, Rose and Boatman discuss the performance presentation standards for real estate and private equity portfolios. Discussing the differences between the general provisions of the GIPS standards and those for real estate and private equity portfolios, Rose states the following:
1. "The general provisions require that valuations take place monthly until 2010. For real estate, valuations could be done annually until 2008, but starting in 2008 quarterly valuations are required. For private equity, valuations should be performed annually."
2. "The performance standards in the general provisions for real estate and for private equity require that both gross-of-fees and net-of-fees returns are presented."
Also commenting on the differences between the various GIPS requirements, Boatman states the following:
1. "Although the general provisions for GIPS make the verification of GIPS compliance by an outside third party voluntary, the valuation of real estate and private equity by an outside third party is required by GIPS."
2. "The GIPS general provisions for real estate and for private equity require that both income and capital gains are included in the calculation and presentation of returns."

Of the three scenarios (see Figure 2) presented to the Beeman Enterprises executives, which would represent the appropriate reaction to increasing the pension plan allocation to equity, if management wishes to maintain its current equity beta?