|
LOS l: Explain the motivation for algorithmic trading and discuss the basic classes of algorithmic trading strategies. ffice ffice" />
Q1. A simple logical participation strategy trades:
A) early in the day and attempts to minimize market impact.
B) with market flow and attempts to minimize opportunity costs.
C) with market flow and attempts to minimize market impact.
Correct answer is C)
Simple logical participation strategies seek to trade with market flow to minimize market impact.
Q2. George White, CFA, and ffice:smarttags" />laceName w:st="on">ElizabethlaceName> laceName w:st="on">PlainlaceName>, CFA, manage an account for Briggs and Meyers Securities. In managing the account, White and Plain use a variety of strategies, and they trade in different markets. They use econometric analysis to estimate costs, for example, and algorithmic methods to execute the strategies. White and Plain also use both market orders and limit orders. Their supervisor has asked them to compose a summary of their trading records to see how the various strategies have worked.
The supervisor asks about how to assess the costs and risks of the various types of trades. The supervisor specifically asks White and Plain to explain the difference in the risks associated with market and limit orders. After White and Plain explain how limit orders can give a better price, the supervisor asks why they wouldn’t always use limit orders. White explains the details of execution uncertainty and price uncertainty and how they relate to market and limit orders. As part of the discussion, Plain explains the principle of the effective spread that is associated with market orders. She uses a recent example where the quoted bid and ask price of GHT stock was $25.40 and $25.44 respectively. When White and Plain put in a buy order for 300 shares of GHT stock, at that quoted spread, the order was immediately executed at $25.45. She then calculates the effective spread.
In summarizing transactions costs, White explains how transactions costs include both implicit and explicit costs. He describes a recent situation where he and Plain placed a large buy order for CRD stock. Only half of the trade was executed on the day the order was made, and the second half of the buy order for CRD was executed on the following day. This occurred because the order was for a large number of shares and CRD stock traded in a relatively illiquid market.
The supervisor asks if there are methods for analyzing and predicting costs associated with the size of the order and the liquidity of the market. White and Plain use an econometric model as part of their pre-trade analysis to estimate implicit transactions costs. Their econometric models use the following inputs: market capitalization, volume, and measures of momentum. White says that linear econometric models have proven the most effective because the inputs are fairly normally distributed. Plain says that in addition to simply estimating the costs of a proposed trade, the model can also indicate the optimal size of the trade.
White and Plain also explain their algorithmic methods of trading. They engage in passive trading combined with pegging and discretion strategies that are designed to seize liquidity. They recently decided to trade GHT stock using algorithmic methods. White said that GHT was a good stock to trade this way because their trades of the stock are very small in relation to the volume of the stock in the whole market. Plain adds by saying that GHT has a large spread, and this also makes algorithmic trading ideal for this stock.
Which of the following statements regarding market orders is most accurate? Market orders:
A) have price uncertainty, and limit orders have execution uncertainty.
B) have execution uncertainty, and limit orders have price uncertainty.
C) and limit orders both have execution uncertainty and no price uncertainty.
Correct answer is A)
This is true because a market order can be executed at any price. The limit order may never get executed if the price does not fall into the specified range.
Q3. In the example given by Plain, what was the effective spread for the order of 300 shares of GHT stock?
A) $0.06
B) $0.02
C) $0.04
Correct answer is A)
The effective spread is twice the difference between the execution price and the average of the bid/ask spread at the time of the order: $0.06=2 × [$24.45 –($24.44 + $24.40)/2].
Q4. In the example given by White, the term that describes the costs associated with the purchase of CRD stock is:
A) delay costs.
B) missed trade opportunity.
C) volume-weighted costs.
Correct answer is A)
The term delay costs refers to the inability to complete the desired trade immediately because of its size and the liquidity of markets. Delay costs are often measured on the portion of the order carried over from one day to the next.
Q5. In the discussion concerning the use of econometric methods in estimating trading costs, White commented on the use of linear methods, and Plain commented on using the models to estimate the optimal trade size. With respect to these statements:
A) White was incorrect and Plain was correct.
B) White was correct and Plain was incorrect.
C) both White and Plain were correct.
Correct answer is A)
White was wrong because non-linear models can be more effective than linear models. Plain is correct because the models can estimate the optimal size of the trade.
Q6. With respect to the reasons given for using algorithmic methods for trading GHT stock:
A) White was correct and Plain was incorrect.
B) White and Plain were both correct.
C) Plain was correct and White was incorrect.
Correct answer is A)
Algorithmic trading is ideal for a stock that has a low bid/ask spread. The trades should have a low urgency level and be small with respect to the average volume of that stock.
Q7. The best classification of the algorithmic method used by White and Plain is:
A) implementation shortfall strategy.
B) simple logical participation strategy.
C) opportunistic participation strategies.
Correct answer is C)
Opportunistic participation strategies involve passive trading combined with the opportunistic seizing of liquidity. The most common examples are pegging and discretion strategies. In these strategies, the potential buyer posts a bid and hopes others will sell to him and that this will yield negative implicit trading costs.
Q8. A trader must trade an entire portfolio of stocks. Which of the following would be the best strategy to pursue?
A) A simple logical participation percent-of-volume strategy.
B) A simple logical participation strategy based on VWAP.
C) An implementation shortfall strategy.
Correct answer is C)
Implementation shortfall strategies minimize trading costs as defined by the implementation shortfall measure. Because opportunity costs result from non-trading, this strategy trades heavier early in the day to ensure order completion. An implementation shortfall strategy is useful when an entire portfolio must be traded. Simple logical participation strategies patiently trade throughout the day and may not be able to fill the order.
Q9. A shortfall implementation strategy trades:
A) with market flow and attempts to minimize opportunity costs.
B) early in the day and attempts to minimize opportunity costs.
C) early in the day and attempts to maximize trading cost volatility.
Correct answer is B)
Implementation shortfall strategies trade heavier early in the day to ensure order completion, reduce opportunity costs, and minimize the volatility of trading costs.
| 
发表于 2009-4-10 12:34
| 