Final answer:
The value of the swap per dollar of notional principal to the protection buyer with a credit default swap spread of 150 basis points is 1.5% of the notional amount annually.
Step-by-step explanation:
The value of the swap per dollar of notional principal to the protection buyer if the credit default swap spread is 150 basis points is 1.5% of the notional principal amount annually.
A credit default swap (CDS) is a financial derivative that allows an investor to "swap" their credit risk with that of another investor. In this case, the protection buyer in a CDS pays a spread expressed in basis points to the protection seller. Since 1 basis point is equal to 0.01%, when the CDS spread is 150 basis points, the value of the swap is 150 times 0.01%, which is 1.5%. If the notional principal is $1, the annual cost for buying protection using a CDS would then be $0.015, or 1.5 cents per dollar of the notional principal.