hard · Debt Capital Markets pricing-yields-curve

In a negative-basis trade, an arbitrageur buys a physical corporate bond trading at a G-spread of 250 bps and simultaneously buys 5-year CDS protection on the same issuer at 180 bps.

If the investor finances the bond in the Repo market at GC - 20 bps (LIBOR being GC equivalent), what is the primary risk inherent in this 'nearly credit-hedged' position?

  1. The position is fully exposed to parallel upward shifts in the underlying risk-free Treasury yield curve.
  2. The basis trade will lose money if the issuer's credit quality improves and CDS protection cheapens markedly.
  3. The repo financing cost falls and carry rises if the bond goes 'on special' in the secured funding market.
  4. The bond may experience a 'jump-to-default' where the CDS recovery differs from the bond's market value.

Sign up free to see the explanation and track your rank →

More Debt Capital Markets pricing-yields-curve practice

KomFi: Test Prep Made Easy

KomFi: Test Prep Made Easy — free adaptive practice for GMAT, GRE, SAT, ACT, National Real Estate Exam, Investment Banking, and finance with full explanations.

KomFi Academy is free GMAT prep and personalized GMAT help built as a training platform: 75,000+ practice questions, 26,500+ flashcards, on-demand video lectures, podcasts, and 4K slide decks. Flagship tracks: Free GMAT Prep, Free GMAT Resources, National Real Estate Exam Prep, Investment Banking Prep, Finance Prep, GRE, SAT, ACT, LSAT, MCAT, Financial Accounting, Private Equity, Private Credit, and Quantitative Finance.

Free GMAT Prep & Personalized GMAT Help

What's inside

Topics

View pricing · Read testimonials