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CFA Institute CFA-Level-II Exam - Topic 3 Question 71 Discussion

Actual exam question for CFA Institute's CFA-Level-II exam
Question #: 71
Topic #: 3
[All CFA-Level-II Questions]

Bryan Stephenson is an equity analyst and is developing a research report on Iberia Corporation at the request of his supervisor. Iberia is a conglomerate entity with significant corporate holdings in various industries. Specifically, Stephenson is interested in the effects of Iberia's investments on its financial performance and has decided to focus on two investments: Midland Incorporated and Odessa Company.

Midland Incorporated

On December 31, 2007, Iberia purchased 5 million common shares of Midland Incorporated for 80 million. Midland has a total of 12.5 million common shares outstanding. The market value of Iberia's investment in Midland was 89 million at the end of 2008 and 85 million at the end of 2009. For the year ended 2008, Midland reported net income of 30 million and paid dividends of 10 million. For the year ended 2009, Midland reported a loss of 5 million and paid dividends of 4 million.

During 2010, Midland sold goods to Iberia and reported 20% gross profit from the sale. Iberia sold all of the goods to a third party in 2010.

Odessa Company

On January 2, 2009, Iberia purchased 1 million common shares of Odessa Company as a long-term investment. The purchase price was 20 per share and on December 31, 2009, the market price of Odessa was 17 per share. The decline in value was considered temporary. For the year ended 2009, Odessa reported net income of 750 million and paid a dividend of 3 per share. Iberia considers its investment in Odessa as an investment in financial assets.

In addition, Iberia has a number of foreign investments, so Stephenson's supervisor has asked him to draft a report on accounting methods and ratio analysis. The following are statements from Stephenson's research report.

Statement 1: Under U .S . GAAP, firms are required to use proportionate consolidation to account for joint ventures.

Statement 2: In general, if the parent's consolidated net income is positive, the equity method reports a higher net profit margin than the acquisition method.

What amount should Iberia recognize in its 2009 income statement as a result of its investments in Midland and Odessa?

Show Suggested Answer Hide Answer
Suggested Answer: B

First, calculate the continuously compounded risk-free rate as ln( 1.040811) = 4% and then calculate the theoretically correct futures price as follows:

Then, compare the theoretical price to the observed market price: 1.035 - 1,025 = 10. The futures contract is overpriced. To take advantage of the arbitrage opportunity, the investor should sell the (overpriced) futures contract and buy the underlying asset (the equity index) using borrowed funds. Norris has suggested the opposite. (Study Session 16, LOS 59.f)


Contribute your Thoughts:

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Ricki
4 months ago
Not sure about that 1 million profit figure, seems low.
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Barrett
5 months ago
Totally agree, the equity method can show higher margins!
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Roosevelt
5 months ago
Wait, how can they report a profit with Midland's loss?
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Doretha
5 months ago
I think Odessa's dividends help balance things out a bit.
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King
5 months ago
Midland's loss in 2009 really impacts Iberia's income.
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Justine
6 months ago
I believe we need to consider the net income from Midland and the dividends from Odessa, but I'm not confident about how to combine those figures for the final amount.
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Lorrie
6 months ago
I practiced a similar question where we had to account for both gains and losses from investments. I feel like Midland's situation is tricky because of the loss, but Odessa seems straightforward with its dividends.
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Hoa
6 months ago
I think Midland's loss might affect Iberia's income statement negatively, but I need to recall how the dividends play into that calculation.
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Wynell
6 months ago
I remember we discussed how to calculate the equity method for investments, but I'm not entirely sure how to apply it here with Midland's loss in 2009.
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Dominque
6 months ago
This looks like a straightforward question on queue instantiation. I'll carefully review each line to determine which ones are proper.
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Celestina
6 months ago
This question seems straightforward. I'll focus on identifying the statement that is not an advantage of a two-part transfer pricing system.
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Alecia
6 months ago
The monitor timeout being too short is an interesting possibility. I'll consider whether that could be causing the nodes to be marked as down.
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Reena
6 months ago
This looks like a straightforward question about ensuring PII data is handled properly in a Power Automate flow. I think the key is to configure the connector to be in the Non-Business data group category and create a DLP policy.
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Tegan
11 months ago
Looks like we need to 'Odessa' few more details to figure this one out. Better not 'Odessa-crate' too much!
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Noah
11 months ago
This is a tricky one! I bet the exam writers are just trying to trip us up with all these different investments and transactions. Gotta stay on my toes for this one.
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Ammie
10 months ago
Exactly. It's all about analyzing the financial performance of each investment to come up with the right answer.
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Vannessa
10 months ago
So, if we add up the profits and losses from both investments, we should be able to determine the amount Iberia should recognize in its 2009 income statement.
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Iesha
10 months ago
That's right. Let's see, Midland had a loss in 2009 but made a profit in 2008. Odessa had a net income in 2009.
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Detra
10 months ago
I think we need to calculate the net income from both Midland and Odessa to figure out the total for Iberia.
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Carol
11 months ago
Ah, I see what you mean! The question mentions that Midland sold goods to Iberia, and Iberia then sold them all to a third party in 2010. So, I think Iberia would need to recognize its share of the profit from those transactions, which could affect the final answer.
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Rana
10 months ago
Yes, the transactions between Midland, Iberia, and the third party in 2010 definitely need to be taken into account for the final answer.
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Luis
10 months ago
That's a good point. It could impact the amount that Iberia recognizes in its income statement for 2009.
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Sunny
10 months ago
I think you're right. The profit from the goods sold by Midland to Iberia should be considered in the calculation.
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Sheron
11 months ago
Wait, hold on a minute. Isn't there something about Midland selling goods to Iberia with a 20% gross profit? I wonder how that factors into the overall calculation.
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Francine
10 months ago
User 1
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Margot
10 months ago
User 2
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Una
11 months ago
User 1
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Brynn
12 months ago
I agree with Madonna, I also think the answer is B) 2 million profit because of the net income and dividends reported by Midland and Odessa.
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Madonna
12 months ago
I disagree, I believe the correct answer is B) 2 million profit.
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Nobuko
12 months ago
I think the answer is A) 1 million profit.
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Garry
12 months ago
I'm not sure about that. I think the answer might be A) 1 million profit. We should carefully analyze the financial data provided.
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Eura
12 months ago
I agree with Dorothy. The investments in Midland and Odessa seem to have generated a profit for Iberia.
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Gearldine
12 months ago
I'm pretty sure the correct answer is B) 2 million profit. Iberia's investment in Midland resulted in a gain of 5 million (89 million - 80 million), and its investment in Odessa resulted in a loss of 3 million (20 million - 17 million), so the net effect is a 2 million profit.
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Boris
11 months ago
Great, it seems like the correct answer is indeed B) 2 million profit.
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Maynard
11 months ago
That makes sense, the calculations add up to a 2 million profit for Iberia.
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Ryan
11 months ago
I agree, the gain from Midland and the loss from Odessa result in a net profit of 2 million.
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Vicki
11 months ago
I think the answer is B) 2 million profit.
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Dorothy
1 year ago
I think the answer is B) 2 million profit.
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