Question

Difficulty: MediumNon-Systematic and Credit Risks

Match each specific risk factor associated with individual security issuers to the corporate event or financial circumstance that best exemplifies it.

  • Default (Credit) RiskA corporate bond issuer experiences severe cash flow shortfalls, leading to uncertainty over its ability to make upcoming scheduled coupon payments.
  • Business RiskA biotechnology firm suffers a sharp drop in revenue after its primary drug candidate fails to receive anticipated FDA approval.
  • Regulatory RiskA manufacturing company faces unexpected compliance costs and operational limits following a newly enacted environmental emissions law.
  • Liquidity RiskAn investor holding a thinly traded municipal revenue bond cannot quickly convert the security to cash without accepting a deep price discount.

Answer

Default (Credit) Risk matches the scenario regarding cash flow shortfalls and missed coupon payments; Business Risk matches the scenario regarding the failed drug candidate approval; Regulatory Risk matches the scenario regarding newly enacted environmental laws; Liquidity Risk matches the scenario regarding a thinly traded bond that cannot be quickly sold without a steep discount.
Non-systematic risks affect specific companies or industries and can be mitigated through portfolio diversification. Default (credit) risk specifically relates to the issuer's inability to service debt obligations; business risk relates to commercial or operational performance setbacks; regulatory risk reflects losses caused by changes in law or policy; and liquidity risk reflects the difficulty of executing secondary market transactions quickly without price concession.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze each non-systematic risk factor definition
Identify that non-systematic risks are diversifiable risks unique to a specific issuer, industry, or security structure.
Understanding the unique driver behind each risk type enables accurate matching to real-world corporate scenarios.
2
Map Default (Credit) Risk
Connects to cash flow shortfalls threatening coupon payments.
Credit risk specifically concerns an issuer's inability to fulfill contractual debt obligations.
3
Map Business Risk
Connects to the FDA approval failure for a biotech firm.
Product development failures and operational setbacks directly impact corporate earnings and represent core business risk.
4
Map Regulatory Risk
Connects to newly enacted environmental emissions laws.
Government action and legislative changes introduce compliance costs and constraints classified under regulatory risk.
5
Map Liquidity Risk
Connects to thin trading volumes requiring price concessions to liquidate.
Liquidity risk measures the ease and cost of converting a security to cash in the secondary market.

Key Concept

Non-Systematic and Credit Risks
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