Question

Difficulty: MediumNon-Systematic and Credit Risks

Match each non-systematic or credit risk category on the left with the real-world investment scenario on the right that best illustrates it.

  • Credit RiskA municipal revenue bond issuer fails to make scheduled principal and interest payments due to severe shortfall in toll collections.
  • Business RiskA software firm experiences declining operating income following market adoption of a competitor's innovative cloud platform.
  • Liquidity RiskAn investor holding a private placement limited partnership note must accept a steep discount to execute a fast sale.
  • Regulatory RiskA regional energy producer incurs major operational halts after new environmental legislation bans hydraulic fracturing in its operating zone.

Answer

Credit Risk matches the municipal revenue bond issuer defaulting on payments; Business Risk matches the software firm suffering operating income decline due to competitive innovation; Liquidity Risk matches the limited partnership note requiring a steep discount for rapid sale; Regulatory Risk matches the energy producer halted by new environmental legislation.
Each matching pair correctly identifies the specific non-systematic risk factor. Non-systematic risks are company- or industry-specific risks that can be mitigated through diversification. Credit risk concerns debt default, business risk concerns core operational viability, liquidity risk concerns ease of resale, and regulatory risk concerns legislative impact.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the scenario of missing scheduled principal and interest payments.
This scenario directly reflects an issuer defaulting on financial obligations, which is the definition of Credit (Default) Risk.
Credit risk measures the financial default potential of a debt issuer.
2
Analyze the scenario of declining operating income due to competitive market pressures.
Product obsolescence and loss of market share impair core operations, which defines Business Risk.
Business risk pertains to operating profitability and business model sustainability.
3
Analyze the scenario of accepting a large price discount to exit an asset quickly.
Inability to sell securities quickly without taking a significant price loss is the definition of Liquidity Risk.
Liquidity risk is tied to trading volume and marketability of specific holdings.
4
Analyze the scenario of operational halts caused by new environmental legislation.
Direct legal restrictions enacted by legislative bodies represent Regulatory Risk.
Regulatory risk is caused by government rule changes that impair company cash flows.

Key Concept

Non-Systematic Risk Classification and Credit Risk Identification
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