Question

T-Bills are a security whose price can vary in the market where they are bought and sold after they are auctioned to the investing public by the U.S. Treasury. This is much like stock prices -- their price varies over time (though, usually, bond prices are less volatile than stock prices). Say that you own a 1-year T-Bill that you purchased it 6 months ago and will hold it to maturity. Today, interest rates rose. Which one of the following is correct regarding the T-Bill that you own? A. What you earn on this security would decline as a result of the change in interest rates. B. What you earn on this security would rise as a result of the change in interest rates. C. What you earn on this security would not change as a result of the change in interest rates.

Answer 1

Answer:

C. What you earn on this security would not change as a result of the change in interest rates.

Explanation:

The increase in the interest rate will decrease the price of the T-Bill if you want to sell it to another investor, but what you will earn with the security will not change at all. Your earnings in dollars = interest rate paid by the T-Bill or any other type of bond.

If you buy and sell securities for a living, then a change in the interest rates can make you win or lose money, since the price of the securities will increase or decrease. If interest rates increase, the price decreases. But if you invest on a security to earn the coupon or interest rate that it pays, a change in the price will not affect you because you already own it. The opportunity cost of holding the security might change, but the accounting revenues will not.