Definition of Swaption
Swaption
Options on interest rate swaps. The buyer of a swaption has the right to enter into an interest rate
swap agreement by some specified date in the future. The swaption agreement will specify whether the buyer
of the swaption will be a fixed-rate receiver or a fixed-rate payer. The writer of the swaption becomes the
counterparty to the swap if the buyer exercises.
Swaption
A swap option; an option on an interest-rate swap. The option gives
the holder the right to enter into a contracted interest-rate swap at a specified
future date. See Swap.
Related Terms:
A swaption in which the buyer has the right to enter into a swap as a fixed-rate payer. The
writer therefore becomes the fixed-rate receiver/floating rate payer.
A financial tool in which the buyer has the right, or option, to enter into a swap as a floatingrate
payer. The writer of the swaption therefore becomes the floating-rate receiver/fixed-rate payer.
See: swaption.
Related: Quality option.
a. An option to buy a certain quantity of a stock or commodity for a
specified price within a specified time. See Put.
b. A demand to submit bonds to the issuer for redemption before the maturity date.
c. A demand for payment of a debt.
d. A demand for payment due on stock bought on margin.
An option that gives the right to buy the underlying futures contract.
To exercise a call option.
A date before maturity, specified at issuance, when the issuer of a bond may retire part of the bond
for a specified call price.
Also called the broker loan rate , the interest rate that banks charge brokers to finance
margin loans to investors. The broker charges the investor the call money rate plus a service charge.
An option contract that gives its holder the right (but not the obligation) to purchase a specified
number of shares of the underlying stock at the given strike price, on or before the expiration date of the
contract.
call premium
Premium in price above the par value of a bond or share of preferred stock that must be paid to
holders to redeem the bond or share of preferred stock before its scheduled maturity date.
The price, specified at issuance, at which the issuer of a bond may retire part of the bond at a
specified call date.
The price for which a bond can be repaid before maturity under a call provision.
A feature of some callable bonds that establishes an initial period when the bonds may not be
called.
An embedded option granting a bond issuer the right to buy back all or part of the issue prior
to maturity.
The combination of cash flow uncertainty and reinvestment risk introduced by a call provision.
A financial security such as a bond with a call option attached to it, i.e., the issuer has the right to
call the security.
Covered call
A short call option position in which the writer owns the number of shares of the underlying
stock represented by the option contracts. Covered calls generally limit the risk the writer takes because the
stock does not have to be bought at the market price, if the holder of that option decides to exercise it.
Covered call writing strategy
A strategy that involves writing a call option on securities that the investor
owns in his or her portfolio. See covered or hedge option strategies.
Deferred call
A provision that prohibits the company from calling the bond before a certain date. During this
period the bond is said to be call protected.
Effective call price
The strike price in an optional redemption provision plus the accrued interest to the
redemption date.
First-call
With CMOs, the start of the cash flow cycle for the cash flow window.
Implied call
The right of the homeowner to prepay, or call, the mortgage at any time.
Irrational call option
The implied call imbedded in the MBS. Identified as irrational because the call is
sometimes not exercised when it is in the money (interest rates are below the threshold to refinance).
Sometimes exercised when not in the money (home sold without regard to the relative level of interest rates).
Margin call
A demand for additional funds because of adverse price movement. Maintenance margin
requirement, security deposit maintenance
Margin of safety With respect to working capital management, the difference between 1) the amount of longterm
financing, and 2) the sum of fixed assets and the permanent component of current assets.
Provisional call feature
A feature in a convertible issue that allows the issuer to call the issue during the noncall
period if the price of the stock reaches a certain level.
Put-call parity relationship
The relationship between the price of a put and the price of a call on the same
underlying security with the same expiration date, which prevents arbitrage opportunities. Holding the stock
and buying a put will deliver the exact payoff as buying one call and investing the present value (PV) of the
exercise price. The call value equals C=S+P-PV(k).
Uncovered call
A short call option position in which the writer does not own shares of underlying stock
represented by his option contracts. Also called a "naked" call, it is much riskier for the writer than a covered
call, where the writer owns the underlying stock. If the buyer of a call exercises the option to call, the writer
would be forced to buy the stock at market price.
Yield to call
The percentage rate of a bond or note, if you were to buy and hold the security until the call date.
This yield is valid only if the security is called prior to maturity. Generally bonds are callable over several
years and normally are called at a slight premium. The calculation of yield to call is based on the coupon rate,
length of time to the call and the market price.
acid test ratio (also called the quick ratio)
The sum of cash, accounts receivable, and short-term marketable
investments (if any) is divided by
total current liabilities to compute this ratio. Suppose that the short-term
creditors were to pounce on a business and not agree to roll over the
debts owed to them by the business. In this rather extreme scenario, the
acid test ratio reveals whether its cash and near-cash assets are enough
to pay its short-term current liabilities. This ratio is an extreme test that
is not likely to be imposed on a business unless it is in financial straits.
This ratio is quite relevant when a business is in a liquidation situation
or bankruptcy proceedings.
net income (also called the bottom line, earnings, net earnings, and net
operating earnings)
This key figure equals sales revenue for a period
less all expenses for the period; also, any extraordinary gains and losses
for the period are included in this final profit figure. Everything is taken
into account to arrive at net income, which is popularly called the bottom
line. Net income is clearly the single most important number in business
financial reports.
Call Option
A contract that gives the holder the right to buy an asset for a
specified price on or before a given expiration (maturity) date
economically reworked
when the incremental revenue from the sale of reworked defective units is greater than
the incremental cost of the rework
Callable bond
A bond that allows the issuer to buy back the bond at a
predetermined price at specified future dates. The bond contains an embedded
call option; i.e., the holder has sold a call option to the issuer. See Puttable
bond.
call option
Right to buy an asset at a specified exercise price on or before the exercise date.
callable bond
Bond that may be repurchased by the issuer before maturity at specified call price.
CARs (cumulative abnormal returns)
a measure used in academic finance articles to measure the excess returns an investor would have received over a particular time period if he or she were invested in a particular stock.
This is typically used in control and takeover studies, where stockholders are paid a premium for being taken over. Starting some time period before the takeover (often five days before the first announced bid, but sometimes a longer period), the researchers calculate the actual daily stock returns for the target firm and subtract out the expected market returns (usually calculated using the firm’s beta and applying it to overall market movements during the time period under observation).
The excess actual return over the capital asset pricing model-determined expected return market is called an ‘‘abnormal return.’’ The cumulation of the daily abnormal returns over the time period under observation is the CAR. The term CAR(-5, 0) means the CAR calculated from five days before the
announcement to the day of announcement. The CAR(-1, 0) is a control premium, although Mergerstat generally uses the stock price five days before announcement rather than one day before announcement as the denominator in its control premium calculation. However, the CAR for any period other than (-1, 0) is not mathematically equivalent to a control premium.
markup
the period after an announcement of a takeover bid in which stock prices typically rise until a merger or acquisition is made (or until it falls through).
Acid-test ratio
Also called the quick ratio, the ratio of current assets minus inventories, accruals, and prepaid
items to current liabilities.
Annual report
Yearly record of a publicly held company's financial condition. It includes a description of the
firm's operations, its balance sheet and income statement. SEC rules require that it be distributed to all
shareholders. A more detailed version is called a 10-K.
Ask
This is the quoted ask, or the lowest price an investor will accept to sell a stock. Practically speaking, this
is the quoted offer at which an investor can buy shares of stock; also called the offer price.
Ask price
A dealer's price to sell a security; also called the offer price.
Asset/liability management
Also called surplus management, the task of managing funds of a financial
institution to accomplish the two goals of a financial institution:
1) to earn an adequate return on funds invested, and
2) to maintain a comfortable surplus of assets beyond liabilities.
Assignment
The receipt of an exercise notice by an options writer that requires the writer to sell (in the case
of a call) or purchase (in the case of a put) the underlying security at the specified strike price.
Automated Clearing House (ACH)
A collection of 32 regional electronic interbank networks used to
process transactions electronically with a guaranteed one-day bank collection float.
Automatic stay
The restricting of liability holders from collection efforts of collateral seizure, which is
automatically imposed when a firm files for bankruptcy under Chapter 11.
Balance sheet
Also called the statement of financial condition, it is a summary of the assets, liabilities, and
owners' equity.
Bane
In the words of Warren Buffet, Bill Bane Sr., is, "a great American and one of the last real traders
around. I like to call him 'Salvo.'" His wife, Carol, is a huge NASCAR fan, and in her own words "delights in
pulling the legs off central bankers." Cooper Bane, son number two, is a thriving artiste who specializes in
making art that is much better than the stuff most folks are doing. Jackson, son number three, is a world
renowned master chef and plans on opening a restaurant. Bill Bane Jr., son number one, plans on giving Mr.
Monroe Trout a run for his money. [Bill Bane, Jr. helped Professor Harvey put the hypertextual glossary
together while an MBA student at Duke University.]
Barrier options
Contracts with trigger points that, when crossed, automatically generate buying or selling of
other options. These are very exotic options.
Bearer bond
Bonds that are not registered on the books of the issuer. Such bonds are held in physical form by
the owner, who receives interest payments by physically detaching coupons from the bond certificate and
delivering them to the paying agent.
Benchmark interest rate
Also called the base interest rate, it is the minimum interest rate investors will
demand for investing in a non-Treasury security. It is also tied to the yield to maturity offered on a
comparable-maturity Treasury security that was most recently issued ("on-the-run").
Benchmark issues
Also called on-the-run or current coupon issues or bellwether issues. In the secondary
market, it's the most recently auctioned Treasury issues for each maturity.
Bid price
This is the quoted bid, or the highest price an investor is willing to pay to buy a security. Practically
speaking, this is the available price at which an investor can sell shares of stock. Related: Ask , offer.
Black-Scholes option-pricing model
A model for pricing call options based on arbitrage arguments that uses
the stock price, the exercise price, the risk-free interest rate, the time to expiration, and the standard deviation
of the stock return.
Bond
Bonds are debt and are issued for a period of more than one year. The U.S. government, local
governments, water districts, companies and many other types of institutions sell bonds. When an investor
buys bonds, he or she is lending money. The seller of the bond agrees to repay the principal amount of the
loan at a specified time. Interest-bearing bonds pay interest periodically.
Book
cash A firm's cash balance as reported in its financial statements. Also called ledger cash.
Broker loan rate
Related: call money rate.
Bull spread
A spread strategy in which an investor buys an out-of-the-money put option, financing it by
selling an out-of-the money call option on the same underlying.
Bullet loan
A bank term loan that calls for no amortization.
Buy-side analyst
A financial analyst employed by a non-brokerage firm, typically one of the larger money
management firms that purchase securities on their own accounts.
Capitalization ratios
Also called financial leverage ratios, these ratios compare debt to total capitalization
and thus reflect the extent to which a corporation is trading on its equity. Capitalization ratios can be
interpreted only in the context of the stability of industry and company earnings and cash flow.
Capitalization table
A table showing the capitalization of a firm, which typically includes the amount of
capital obtained from each source - long-term debt and common equity - and the respective capitalization
ratios.
Cash flow
In investments, it represents earnings before depreciation , amortization and non-cash charges.
Sometimes called cash earnings. Cash flow from operations (called funds from operations ) by real estate and
other investment trusts is important because it indicates the ability to pay dividends.
Cash flow matching
Also called dedicating a portfolio, this is an alternative to multiperiod immunization in
which the manager matches the maturity of each element in the liability stream, working backward from the
last liability to assure all required cash flows.
Cash markets
Also called spot markets, these are markets that involve the immediate delivery of a security
or instrument.
Related: derivative markets.
Cash transaction
A transaction where exchange is immediate, as contrasted to a forward contract, which
calls for future delivery of an asset at an agreed-upon price.
Certificate of deposit (CD)
Also called a time deposit, this is a certificate issued by a bank or thrift that
indicates a specified sum of money has been deposited. A CD bears a maturity date and a specified interest
rate, and can be issued in any denomination. The duration can be up to five years.
Circle
Underwriters, actual or potential, often seek out and "circle" investor interest in a new issue before
final pricing. The customer circled basically made a commitment to purchase the issue if it comes at an
agreed-upon price. In the latter case, if the price is other than that stipulated, the customer supposedly has first
offer at the actual price.
Collateralized mortgage obligation (CMO)
A security backed by a pool of pass-throughs , structured so that
there are several classes of bondholders with varying maturities, called tranches. The principal payments from
the underlying pool of pass-through securities are used to retire the bonds on a priority basis as specified in
the prospectus.
Related: mortgage pass-through security
Combination matching
Also called horizon matching, a variation of multiperiod immunization and cash
flow matching in which a portfolio is created that is always duration matched and also cash-matched in the
first few years.
Commercial paper
Short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by a corporation. The maturity of
commercial paper is typically less than 270 days; the most common maturity range is 30 to 50 days or less.
Common stock/other equity
Value of outstanding common shares at par, plus accumulated retained
earnings. Also called shareholders' equity.
Concession agreement
An understanding between a company and the host government that specifies the
rules under which the company can operate locally.
Constant-growth model
Also called the Gordon-Shapiro model, an application of the dividend discount
model which assumes (1) a fixed growth rate for future dividends and (2) a single discount rate.
Consumer credit
Credit granted by a firm to consumers for the purchase of goods or services. Also called
retail credit.
Consumer Price Index (CPI)
The CPI, as it is called, measures the prices of consumer goods and services and is a
measure of the pace of U.S. inflation. The U.S.Department of Labor publishes the CPI very month.
Contract month
The month in which futures contracts may be satisfied by making or accepting a delivery.
Also called value managers, those who assemble portfolios with relatively lower betas, lower price-book and
P/E ratios and higher dividend yields, seeing value where others do not.
Controlled disbursement
A service that provides for a single presentation of checks each day (typically in
the early part of the day).
Conventional pass-throughs
Also called private-label pass-throughs, any mortgage pass-through security not
guaranteed by government agencies. Compare agency pass-throughs.
Conversion ratio
The number of shares of common stock that the security holder will receive from
exercising the call option of a convertible security.
Conversion value
Also called parity value, the value of a convertible security if it is converted immediately.
Cost-benefit ratio
The net present value of an investment divided by the investment's initial cost. Also called
the profitability index.
Covered or hedge option strategies
Strategies that involve a position in an option as well as a position in the
underlying stock, designed so that one position will help offset any unfavorable price movement in the other,
including covered call writing and protective put buying. Related: naked strategies
Cushion bonds
High-coupon bonds that sell at only at a moderate premium because they are callable at a
price below that at which a comparable non-callable bond would sell. Cushion bonds offer considerable
downside protection in a falling market.
Day order
An order to buy or sell stock that automatically expires if it can't be executed on the day it is entered.
Debenture bond
An unsecured bond whose holder has the claim of a general creditor on all assets of the
issuer not pledged specifically to secure other debt. Compare subordinated debenture bond, and collateral
trust bonds.
Debt swap
A set of transactions (also called a debt-equity swap) in which a firm buys a country's dollar bank
debt at a discount and swaps this debt with the central bank for local currency that it can use to acquire local
equity.
Dedicated capital
Total par value (number of shares issued, multiplied by the par value of each share). Also
called dedicated value.
Deep-discount bond
A bond issued with a very low coupon or no coupon and selling at a price far below par
value. When the bond has no coupon, it's called a zero coupon bond.
Deferred futures
The most distant months of a futures contract. A bond that sells at a discount and does not
pay interest for an initial period, typically from three to seven years. Compare step-up bond and payment-inkind
bond.
Delta
Also called the hedge ratio, the ratio of the change in price of a call option to the change in price of the
underlying stock.
Discount bond
Debt sold for less than its principal value. If a discount bond pays no interest, it is called a
zero coupon bond.
Dollar-weighted rate of return
Also called the internal rate of return, the interest rate that will make the
present value of the cash flows from all the subperiods in the evaluation period plus the terminal market value
of the portfolio equal to the initial market value of the portfolio.
Doubling option
A sinking fund provision that may allow repurchase of twice the required number of bonds
at the sinking fund call price.
Dow Jones industrial average
This is the best known U.S.index of stocks. It contains 30 stocks that trade on
the New York Stock Exchange. The Dow, as it is called, is a barometer of how shares of the largest
U.S.companies are performing. There are thousands of investment indexes around the world for stocks,
bonds, currencies and commodities.
Dynamic asset allocation
An asset allocation strategy in which the asset mix is mechanistically shifted in
response to -changing market conditions, as in a portfolio insurance strategy, for example.
Earnings per share (EPS)
EPS, as it is called, is a company's profit divided by its number of outstanding
shares. If a company earned $2 million in one year had 2 million shares of stock outstanding, its EPS would
be $1 per share. The company often uses a weighted average of shares outstanding over the reporting term.
Earnings surprises
Positive or negative differences from the consensus forecast of earnings by institutions
such as First call or IBES. Negative earnings surprises generally have a greater adverse affect on stock prices
than the reciprocal positive earnings surprise on stock prices.
Electronic data interchange (EDI)
The exchange of information electronically, directly from one firm's
computer to another firm's computer, in a structured format.
Enhanced indexing
Also called indexing plus, an indexing strategy whose objective is to exceed or replicate
the total return performance of some predetermined index.
Equilibrium rate of interest
The interest rate that clears the market. Also called the market-clearing interest
rate.
Equity claim
Also called a residual claim, a claim to a share of earnings after debt obligation have been
satisfied.
Equity options
Securities that give the holder the right to buy or sell a specified number of shares of stock, at
a specified price for a certain (limited) time period. Typically one option equals 100 shares of stock.
Excess returns
Also called abnormal returns, returns in excess of those required by some asset pricing model.
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