Consider Two Firms with One-Year Probabilities of Default Of $p _ { 1 } = 0.10$

question 11

Multiple Choice

Consider two firms with one-year probabilities of default of $p _ { 1 } = 0.10$ and $p _ { 2 } = 0.05$ , respectively. The correlation of default of these two firms is $\rho = 0.30$ . What is the price of a $100 notional one-year maturity first-to-default basket option on these two firms? (Assume the discount rate is zero.)

• A) $10.00
• B) $12.50
• C) $15.00
• D) $17.50

---

Definitions:

Monthly Compounding

The process wherein the interest earned on an investment is added to the principal sum every month, and from then on, the interest for future periods is calculated on the new total.

Effective Annual Rate

The effective annual rate is the actual return on an investment after accounting for compounding interest over a one-year period.

Nominal Annual Rate

The interest rate stated on a loan or investment agreement, not adjusted for inflation or other factors that affect real value.

Compounded Monthly

The process of calculating interest on both the initial principal and the accumulated interest from previous periods, done monthly.