Question 1

Which of the following statements about the over-the-counter market is true?

Accepted Answer

Stocks that are listed on exchange floors are also traded in the over-the-counter market. The term "third market" refers to over-the-counter trading of listed stocks. All types of securities-stocks, bonds, options, warrants, rights-trade over the counter. The over-the-counter market is a negotiated market, not an auction market.

Question 2

Which of the following is not an auction market?

Accepted Answer

NASDAQ is not an auction market. NASDAQ is a computerized system of geographically dispersed securities' dealers. As such, it is a negotiated market. The NYSE (New York Stock Exchange) and the CHX (Chicago Stock Exchange) are both auction markets.

Question 3

The entity that serves as the auctioneer for trades conducted on an organized exchange floor is known as a:

Accepted Answer

The entity that serves as the auctioneer for trades conducted on an organized exchange floor is known as a specialist. The specialist is assigned stocks by the exchange and is a market maker in those stocks. A registered trader is a private individual who buys and sells on his own account only. Floor brokers and commission brokers execute trades for other investors.

Question 4

Which of the following statements about specialists is false?

Accepted Answer

The statement that specialists are employees of the exchange on which they oversee trades is false. Specialists are separate firms that are members of the exchange. Specialists are market makers in the stocks that are assigned them by the exchange and can earn profits (or losses) on these investments, just like any other market maker. They are required to maintain a fair and orderly market in their assigned stocks, however, which means they sometimes must trade against the market. They also maintain a central limit order "book" in their assigned stocks.

Question 5

NASDAQ market makers provide investors with assurance that:

Accepted Answer

NASDAQ market makers provide investors with assurance that there is a market for the listed security by posting bid and ask prices for it. There is no guarantee, however, that the investor will be able to buy or sell the security at the price he desires or that the investment is high quality and low risk.

Question 6

SuperDOT is:

Accepted Answer

SuperDOT is an electronic system used to place market and limit orders on the NYSE whereby the orders are routed directly to the specialist in the assigned stocks. It is not an ECN, which is an electronic network that is designed to allow buyers and sellers to interact directly with each other, thereby bypassing the middlemen.

Question 7

GoForBroke Investments has registered with the SEC to be a market maker in certain NASDAQ-listed securities. In order to be able to enter bid and ask quotes for the securities in which it is going to make a market, GoForBroke must subscribe to which level of NASDAQ?

Accepted Answer

In order to enter bid and ask quotes, GoForBroke must subscribe to NASDAQ's Level III. Level I simply allows the user to view the highest bid and lowest ask price for a security, and Level II allows the user to view all the bid and ask quotes from all the market makers in a security, but only Level III allows the subscriber to enter quotes. There is no Level IV.

Question 8

Which of the following is not a characteristic of all auction stock exchanges in the U.S.?

Accepted Answer

The statement that does not describe a characteristic of all U.S. auction stock exchanges is D. Dual listing is permitted. Stocks listed on one exchange may also be listed on another. In fact, most of the trading on U.S. regional exchanges is in dual-listed stocks. All of the auction exchanges do have a central marketplace, listed stocks must meet listing requirements, and brokers wishing to conduct trades on the exchange must be members of the exchange or hold a license to trade on the exchange.

Question 9

Which of the following is an example of a primary market transaction?

Accepted Answer

Exco Resources' new bond issue is a primary market transaction. The primary market refers to the market for new issues. The other three scenarios describe transactions in securities that are already being traded and are secondary market transactions.

Question 10

NASDAQ is:

Accepted Answer

NASDAQ is a computerized quotation system that is used in the over-the-counter market. It allows NASDAQ market makers to enter bid and ask quotes and allows subscribers at lower levels to view the bid and ask quotes available.

Question 11

All government bonds and the majority of corporate bonds are traded:

Accepted Answer

All government bonds and the majority of corporate bonds are traded in the over-the-counter market.

Question 12

Which of the following types of securities would not be traded in the over-the-counter market?
I. stock options
II. government bonds
III. corporate bonds
IV. corporate stocks

Accepted Answer

All of the choices listed-and more-are traded in the over-the-counter market: stock options, government bonds, corporate bonds, and corporate stocks. Additionally, securities such as warrants, rights, forward contracts, and foreign currencies also trade in the over-the-counter market.

Question 13

Which of the following are duties of the specialist on an exchange floor?
I. executing limit orders if/when the limit price specified is reached
II. minimizing any imbalance in supply and demand for the stock(s) that the specialist is assigned
III. determining an opening price for each assigned stock every day
IV. serving as an auctioneer for the shares of the assigned stocks

Accepted Answer

All of the choices listed are duties of the specialist on an exchange floor. The specialist maintains a limit order "book" and executes those orders if/when the limit price is reached. The specialist is also charged with maintaining a fair and orderly market in the assigned securities, which means trading on his own account to ensure that the supply and demand of the stock's shares match. Additionally, the specialist is responsible for setting the opening price for the assigned stock each day and for serving as the auctioneer for the shares of the stock.

Question 14

The price at which an investor can sell a security to a market maker in the over-the-counter market is called the:

Accepted Answer

An investor can sell a security to a market maker in the over-the-counter market at the bid price, which is the price at which the market maker is willing to buy the security.

Question 15

Mary is interested in buying shares of the Lambchops Corporation, which sells over-the-counter. The market maker with the best bid price--$3.15--is Veggie Investments. The market maker with the best ask price--$3.27-is Carnivor Investments. Mary conducts trades in NYSE-listed stocks through her broker, Omnivor and Associates. Given this scenario, which of the following statements is true?

Accepted Answer

Mary can buy shares of Lambchops Corporation for $3.27 from the market maker with the best ask price, Carnivor, by contacting her broker, Omnivor and Associates, which will execute the transaction. The ask price is the price at which market makers in the over-the-counter market are willing to sell the stock, and over-the-counter transactions, like NYSE transactions, are executed by brokers.

Question 16

Noah Mete is interested in selling his shares of the Lambchops Corporation, which trades over-the-counter. The market maker with the best bid price--$3.15--is Veggie Investments. The market maker with the best ask price--$3.27-is Carnivor Investments. Noah conducts trades in NYSE-listed stocks through his broker, Omnivor and Associates. Given this scenario, which of the following statements is true?

Accepted Answer

Noah can sell his shares of Lambchops Corporation for $3.15 from the market maker with the best bid price, Veggie, by contacting his broker, Omnivor and Associates, which will execute the transaction. The bid price is the price at which market makers in the over-the-counter market are willing to buy the stock, and over-the-counter transactions, like NYSE transactions, are executed by brokers.

Question 17

Which of the following represents a secondary market transaction?

Accepted Answer

When an investor sells her shares of Sunvalley Solar that is listed on the OTC Bulletin Board, it is a secondary market transaction since shares are being bought and sold between investors. All the other selections involve a new issue of securities, which makes them primary market transactions.

Question 18

Which of the following statements about primary market transactions is true?

Accepted Answer

In a primary market transaction, the issuer of the security receives the proceeds from the sale of the security. A secondary market transaction involves the purchase and sale of a security between investors, and the seller of the security receives the proceeds from the sale. Both stocks and bonds are initially introduced to the market as primary market securities and are then traded in the secondary market.

Question 19

A new issue of common stock can be classified in which of the following categories?
I. primary market
II. money market
III. secondary market
IV. capital market

Accepted Answer

Only Selections I and IV are correct. A new issue of common stock will be sold in the primary market. It is also a capital market security since it has no maturity, and capital market securities are securities with greater than one year to maturity.

Question 20

Which of the following securities would be exempt from SEC registration requirements?
I. a 15-year bond issued by the state of Colorado
II. an issue of preferred stock that has an aggregate par value of $5 million
III. an issue of commercial paper that has a 5-month maturity

Accepted Answer

Only Selections I and III are exempt from SEC registration requirements. The bond issued by Colorado is exempt because bonds issued by a government body are exempt from registration. The issue of commercial paper is exempt because securities with less than 270 days to maturity are exempt from registration.

Quiz 1: Investment and Bond Market