You Are a Corporate Treasurer for Esso Oil

question 33

Essay

You are a corporate treasurer for Esso Oil. The quoted rate on dollar-denominated euro commercial paper has just blipped down recently. Your firm can issue $10 million of 180-day euro commercial paper in the London markets at 3.45 percent. You can also invest the proceeds in the United States in comparable maturity negotiable dollar-denominated CDs,which are quoting 3.95 percent. Ignoring any transactions costs,how much money,if any,can Esso make by borrowing in the euro markets and investing in the United States? Is this a good deal or not? Should you expect it to last? Explain.

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Definitions:

Net Realizable Value

The amount (Accounts Receivable – Allowance for Doubtful Accounts) that is expected to be collected.

Gross Accounts Receivable

The total amount owed to a company by its customers for goods or services delivered on credit before any deductions for returns or bad debts.

Bad Debts Expense

The cost associated with accounts receivable that are not expected to be collected.

Contra Asset

An asset account where its balance is opposite of the normal balance, used to offset the balance of a related account, such as allowance for doubtful accounts offsetting accounts receivable.