Final answer:
The bid/ask percentage spread of a bank's quotes for Swiss francs, with a bid rate of .45 and ask rate of .47, is calculated to be approximately 4.26%. The correct option is B.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question posed concerns the calculation of the bid/ask percentage spread for a currency in the context of foreign exchange rates. The bid rate is the price at which the bank is willing to buy Swiss francs, which in this case is .45. The ask rate is the price at which the bank will sell Swiss francs, here .47. To determine the bid/ask percentage spread, we use the formula:
Spread (%) = ((Ask - Bid) / Ask) × 100
Inserting the provided numbers:
Spread (%) = ((.47 - .45) / .47) × 100
Spread (%) = (.02 / .47) × 100
Spread (%) = 0.042553 × 100
Spread (%) = 4.2553, or about 4.26 when rounded to two decimal places.
Thus, the answer to the student's question is that the bid/ask percentage spread is about 4.26%, which corresponds to option 2.