Chapter Sixteen
Financial Engineering and Risk Management
Multiple Choice
1. A person holds 10,000 shares of Genuine Parts Company (GPC, NYSE). In order to reduce
the GPC position delta, the portfolio manager could do any of the following except
a. write GPC calls.
b. write GPC puts.
c. sell GPC stock.
d. buy GPC puts.
ANSWER: B
2. A non-profit stock portfolio manager who sold SPX index futures to hedge market risk would
be most likely to augment portfolio income by
a. writing SPX futures calls.
b. writing SPX futures puts.
c. buying SPX futures calls.
d. buying SPX futures puts.
ANSWER: B
3. Gamma risk is best associated with
a. rising markets.
b. falling markets.
c. fast markets.
d. slow markets.
ANSWER: C
4. Delta measures the _____ change in option value associated with a one _____ change in the
value of the underlying asset.
a. percent, percent.
b. percent, dollar.
c. dollar, percent.
d. dollar, dollar.
ANSWER: D
5. Constructing asset portfolios that have precise technical characteristics is commonly called
a. synthetic purchases.
b. financial engineering.
c. swapping.
d. delta management.
ANSWER: B
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Chapter 16. Financial Engineering and Risk Management
6. A mathematical technique useful in financial engineering applications is
a. linear programming.
b. Markov chains.
c. law of sines.
d. parsing.
ANSWER: A
7. Which of the following terms does not belong?
a. prime
b. score
c. unit
d. warrant
ANSWER: D
True/False
1. Delta for any option ranges from 0 to 1.0.
ANSWER: F
2. Call options have positive deltas.
ANSWER: T
3. Index option deltas range from -2 to +2.
ANSWER: F
4. The concept of gamma in option pricing is similar to the concept of convexity in bond
pricing.
ANSWER: T
5. Writing a call option provides limited downside protection.
ANSWER: T
6. In providing protection against declining prices, the purchase of puts provides more reliable
protection than does the writing of covered calls.
ANSWER: T
7. A disadvantage of buying puts is that you lose most upside profit potential.
ANSWER: F
8. Owning a SCORE was like owning a long-term call option.
ANSWER: T
9. Owning a PRIME was like a covered call position.
ANSWER: T
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Chapter 16. Financial Engineering and Risk Management
Short Answer/Problem
1. You are involved in a portfolio insurance strategy, and are interested in replicating a
particular put option with a delta of  0.4889. You would combine this put with your stock
position to effectively form a protective put. If you own 100,000 shares of the underlying
stock how many shares should you sell short in your short account to leave you with the
synthetic protective put?
ANSWER: 100,000 (1  .4889) = 51,100
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