Question

Difficulty: HardSystematic and Market Risks

Match each investor scenario on the left with the primary subtype of systematic risk that directly impacts the portfolio's value or real return.

  • A retiree receives fixed monthly income from corporate bonds, but discovers that rising consumer prices reduce the quantity of goods that income can purchase.Purchasing Power (Inflation) Risk
  • A investor holding 20-year U.S. Treasury bonds experiences a noticeable decrease in market value after the Federal Reserve raises benchmark interest rates by 150 bps150\text{ bps}.Interest Rate Risk
  • A U.S.-based investor holding American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) of a foreign firm receives lower dollar-denominated dividend payout values after the local foreign currency depreciates.Currency (Exchange Rate) Risk
  • An equity investor holding a broadly diversified 500-stock broad market fund suffers portfolio value losses during a widespread macroeconomic contraction.Market Risk

Answer

Each scenario correctly pairs with its systematic risk subtype: the fixed-income inflation scenario pairs with Purchasing Power (Inflation) Risk; the long-term bond price drop scenario pairs with Interest Rate Risk; the foreign ADR dividend conversion scenario pairs with Currency (Exchange Rate) Risk; and the broad equity fund market downturn scenario pairs with Market Risk.
Each scenario maps to its precise systematic risk subtype: inflation reduces the buying power of fixed bond income (purchasing power risk), rising interest rates lower existing bond values (interest rate risk), foreign currency weakness lowers converted dollar returns (currency risk), and market-wide economic declines reduce broad equity index values (market risk).

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze Scenario 1 (reduced buying power of fixed cash flows due to rising price levels).
Identified as Purchasing Power / Inflation Risk.
Inflation directly reduces the purchasing power of fixed interest and principal payments over time.
2
Analyze Scenario 2 (falling bond market prices following a Federal Reserve interest rate increase).
Identified as Interest Rate Risk.
The inverse relationship between prevailing yields and fixed bond prices causes existing bonds to decline in value when interest rates rise.
3
Analyze Scenario 3 (reduced U.S. dollar payouts resulting from depreciating foreign currency).
Identified as Currency / Exchange Rate Risk.
Unhedged foreign holdings incur translation losses when converting depreciated foreign currencies into U.S. dollars.
4
Analyze Scenario 4 (portfolio declines across a 500-stock broad market fund during recession).
Identified as Market Risk.
Market risk reflects macroeconomic downturns affecting securities broadly, which cannot be eliminated through diversification.

Key Concept

Systematic risk affects the overall market or economy and cannot be eliminated through portfolio diversification. Primary systematic risk subtypes include market risk, interest rate risk, purchasing power (inflation) risk, and currency (exchange rate) risk.
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