Question

Assume that you have entered into a swap agreement for a notional of 100M USD under which every 6 months you agree to pay LIBOR and receive 4% fixed. On the date you signed the contract LIBOR is 3%. Six months later LIBOR is 3.5%. Your actual payment net of what you receive at the first payment date equals to (- sign means you receive):____.
A) 0 USD.
B) -0.5 USD.
C) 0.5 USD.
D) -0.25 USD.

Answer 1

Answer:

C) 0.5 USD

Explanation:

Swap is an arrangement in which two parties exchange their interest rates for mutual benefit. One party may receive fixed rate and other will receive floating rate based on LIBOR. In the given scenario the swap agreement was originated when the LIBIOR was 3%. The fixed rate was set to be at 4% so the net gain at the time of inception was 1%. When LIBOR increased after six month the net gain declined to only 0.5%.